James McAvoy Shares His Favorite Quote From the ‘His Dark Materials’ Book Series

James McAvoy is saying goodbye to his character, Lord Asriel Belacqua, with the final season of HBO‘s fantasy show His Dark Materials. The actor has been a fan of the His Dark Materials novels for years. And he recently revealed that he considered getting a tattoo of his favorite quote from the books. 

James McAvoy started reading ‘His Dark Materials’ because of a co-star

Early in his career, McAvoy starred in the 2001 London production of Privates on Parade opposite Indira Varma. And it was while they were working on the play that Varma persuaded the Scottish actor to read Philip Pullman’s His Dark Materials trilogy. 

“We were talking about Lord of the Rings I think,” McAvoy recalled in a chat with British GQ. “I was saying you need to read the Lord of the Rings. And she in return said, ‘You need to read His Dark Materials.’ I was like, ‘Okay, I’ll read them.’ I started reading His Dark Materials, and it blew my mind, absolutely loved it.”

When the HBO series was being cast, McAvoy chatted with the casting director about potential roles. Initially, he didn’t believe any of the roles would suit him. 

“I was so excited,” he said. “We chatted lots, we went through everything. Because I know the books inside out, I kind of thought there’s not really a part for me in it.”

But a few months later, McAvoy was offered the part of Lord Asriel. And he took all of his knowledge of Pullman’s story to inspire his version of the complicated character. “I knew exactly what I was gonna do with the character from the minute she said, ‘Do you wanna do this?'” he revealed. 

James McAvoy reveals the ‘His Dark Materials’ quote he’d like to get tattooed

When talking to British GQ, McAvoy talked about his favorite quote from His Dark Materials. He revealed that it’s a line from Pullman’s third book in the series, The Amber Spyglass. And he suggested the quote could become his next tattoo.

“I’ve got one tattoo,” McAvoy said. “But if I was to get another one — if I was going to get any tattoo of any note, it would be a quote from the book, and it would be Phillip’s line, ‘Tell them stories.'”

McAvoy talked about the importance of telling stories. And in explaining why the quote feels so profound, he connected it to his work as an actor:

“I think that is so fundamental to human nature,” McAvoy suggested. “We need stories. It’s a weird thing. We need food, we need shelter, we need sex, we need power, we need water, but we need stories. It isn’t just an industry, it isn’t just entertainment of an evening. It’s part of what we need as a species. We might not always need it, but right now I think we still need it.”

“We survive on stories because they’re there to reflect us,” he continued. “And that’s why all parts of culture, all parts of society, all races, creeds, colors, religions, and sexualities, and everything needs to be represented. Art is there for us to look at ourselves and see ourselves represented. You can criticize the viewer or you can entertain the viewer. You can shock the viewer, you can celebrate the viewer. But we all need to see ourselves up there.”

What’s next for James McAvoy after ‘His Dark Materials’?

McAvoy has been in some of the most popular films of the last two decades, including Atonement, X-Men: First Class, and Split. And with the conclusion of His Dark Materials, it’s safe to assume he’ll continue to work on meaningful projects. 

The 43-year-old is currently working on Jeymes Samuel’s Pins and Needles. The biblical comedy, which is being filmed in Italy, also stars LaKeith Stanfield, Omar Sy, Caleb McLoughlin, and Benedict Cumberbatch.