James McAvoy wanted to be a doctor

James McAvoy wanted to be a doctor or a pilot when he was young.

The actor, who was born in Scotland, didn’t aspire to be an actor until he was older.

“I wanted to be a doctor at one point and I also wanted to be a pilot. I think if you grow up in a dodgy area, reality often beats down those ambitions as you get older. But with me that never really happened,” he said.

“Somehow I always had this sense that I was going to be all right. That was always very important to me, not to be in debt to anyone, money-wise.”

“I certainly didn’t harbor any ambition of being an actor because no one I knew had ever done anything like that.”

“I do love acting, but maybe there’ll come a time when I’ll think, I can’t be doing this for the rest of my life.”

“I have to be able to come home and be happy with who I am and my family and all that. I know I need more than just my job. If you want to let your career run your life then fine, but just stay single. If you commit your life to someone else, then you can’t let the job control you.”