NEW YORK, Sept. 25 (UPI) -- Scottish actor James McAvoy says he briefly considered becoming a priest and working as a missionary before he launched his career in film.
In the new movie, "The Last King of Scotland," the 27-year-old actor plays Nicholas Garrigan, a fictionalized doctor and confidante of real-life former Ugandan dictator, Idi Amin.
The "Wimbledon" and "Bright Young Things" star told reporters in New York he could relate to Nicholas because he had also considered pursuing a career in which he could help people and see the world.
"Nicholas goes abroad to help the world and change the world and make it a better place, but, actually, he goes abroad to help the world and make it a better place just because it is a free ticket to explore the world," McAvoy said.
"His actions are selfish from the get-go. And I think (that in my own life) I realized that I was more interested in having an adventure than I was in God, than I was in Catholicism and I was in saving people and I realized there were far better ways to have an adventure than giving my entire life to God and giving my sexuality to God."
