James McAvoy punched at bar and yelled 'I'm from Drumchapel'

The X-Men and Split star, 46, was struck on the back of the head by a stranger being thrown out of a Toronto bar last September, where he was attending the world premiere of California Schemin', his debut as a director.

Speaking on Heart Radio, McAvoy said two producers had to hold him back before the man returned with friends, prompting his now-viral Drumchapel declaration.

He said: "Somebody was getting ejected from the bar and on the way out they decided to just cold-cock me.

"He smacked me as hard as he could on the back of the head. So I've got up, and I go after the guy like 'I'm going to f**king get you.' Two producers grabbed me, and I immediately just think to myself, 'I have got to leave Canada tomorrow, I want to see my kids, it's all good, I'm going to leave this'.

"But in the meantime, the guy has turned back round with his mates and saw that I was getting held back and came at me.

"He starts doing this thing that people do. I don't know why we do it, but I ended up doing it right back at him. When you are angry, and you start to fight somebody, you start to tell them where you're from.

"He starts to go, 'I'm from Mexico,' and I'm like, 'Alright I'm from f**king Drumchapel'. Why do we feel we have to tell people where we are from?"

The actor, who grew up on the Drumchapel council estate, also reflected fondly on his upbringing, saying: "It wasn't depressing and rubbish. It was exciting, there was peril, there was adventure, there was opportunities every day."

California Schemin' tells the true story of Scots rappers Gavin Bain and Billy Boyd, who posed as Californian hip-hop duo Silibil N' Brains, landed a £35,000 record deal, appeared on MTV and supported Eminem. It's in UK cinemas from April 10.