Speak No Evil: Director James Watkins Discusses Creative Process With James McAvoy

Speak No Evil is now in theaters.

By Liam Crowley

James McAvoy's latest terror is arriving in theaters imminently. The Scottish actor stars in Speak No Evil, a new psychological horror film from Universal Pictures, Blumhouse Productions, and director James Watkins. The story unfolds through the eyes of Louise (Mackenzie Davis, Blade Runner 2049) and Ben Dalton (Scoot McNairy, Argo), a couple taking themselves and their daughter on a holiday in Italy. Shortly into their stay, the Daltons encounter Paddy (McAvoy), Ciara (Aisling Franciosi, The Nightingale) and their son Ant (Dan Hough, acting debut). Through charm and captivation (literally and figuratively), Paddy gains the Daltons' trust, and chaos ensues.

Director James Watkins's Creative Process With James McAvoy

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(Photo: Blumhouse / Universal Pictures)

Similar to his leading performance in Split, Speak No Evil stands on the shoulders of James McAvoy. Speaking to ComicBook at the Speak No Evil world premiere in New York City, director James Watkins discussed his creative process with his latest film's starring actor.

"He was thinking about how there's this kind of narcissistic sociopathic guy, how he's charming, and how he pulls the wool over people's eyes," Watkins said regarding McAvoy's dissection of Paddy in Speak No Evil. "We had a lot of conversations about real world people that do that, demagogues, disturbing and toxic masculine guys that influence other people. James is all about the truth of the moment. Really, it's all about looking at the scenes. Is this honest? Is it true?"

McAvoy follows in the footsteps of Fedja van Huêt, the Dutch actor who fulfilled the "narcissistic sociopath" in the original Speak No Evil (2022). When it came to the decision to pull the trigger on an English remake just two years after the original was released, Watkins noted he saw the ability to "bring something different" and give the story the opportunity to "speak to other people."

"I just kind of come at any story just as how good do I think the story is," Watkins said. "In terms of adapting something, I'm thinking there's no point in making the same movie. [Speak No Evil (2022) director] Christian Tafdrup's movie was only a couple of years ago, and it's a brilliant movie. I wanted to see if I could make something of my own. Can I bring something different to it? 

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"It wasn't a cynical process. I've been sent adaptations before and I go, 'No, I can't see it,' but this one I could just see. I thought, 'This speaks to me and I think it will speak to other people.' By relocating it to the UK, making it culturally specific to a world I know and Americans that I know, I think it will change the DNA of the project enough so that the two films can have an interesting conversation with each other."

Speak No Evil is now in theaters.

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