James McAvoy Recalls His Awkward First Meeting with Childhood Crush Jennifer Aniston: 'It Was Rough'

Mar. 15, 2025

James McAvoyhad an awkward first encounter withJennifer Aniston.

While McAvoy, 45, appeared onWatch What Happens Liveon Wednesday, Sept. 11 to promote his new horror-thriller movieSpeak No Evil, the actor told hostAndy Cohenand fellow guestEdie Falcothat Aniston, 55, was his celebrity childhood crush while he grew up in Scotland.

“I did meet her and it wasn’t great,” McAvoy said, when Cohen, 56, asked if he’s ever met Aniston. “Not because she’s not great,” he added, clarifying that he was awkwardly introduced to Aniston at a party in the early 2000s, when McAvoy was just starting out as an actor and Aniston was at the height of herFriendsfame.

James McAvoy and Jennifer Aniston.Dave Benett/Getty; CHRIS DELMAS/AFP via Getty

Dave Benett/Getty; CHRIS DELMAS/AFP via Getty

McAvoy recalled that Liu quickly got caught up chatting with an old friend and left him with her friends before really introducing him to anybody. “I was just left standing with all these people going like, ‘Hey, what’s up, I’m new in town. So you’re Jennifer Aniston and you’re inFriends,” he said.

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“It was like that — it was rough,” McAvoy added, after pantomiming to imply that Aniston and other party attendees did not engage with him after Liu left the group. “But she was lovely.”

James McAvoy on Sept. 9, 2024.Roy Rochlin/Getty

Roy Rochlin/Getty

Two decades removed from that awkward encounter, McAvoy costars with with Mackenzie Davis, Aisling Franciosi and Scoot McNairy inSpeak No Evil, a thriller about a couple who visit newly-made friends in England. The movie is a remake of the 2022 Danish film of the same name.

Speak No Evilis in theaters now.

source: people.com