Fear of Fame

McAvoy says he hasn't had any contact with his estranged father. But he won't say whether he'd eventually like to reconnect.

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"That's something I want keep to myself. Because, you know, I read about actors' lives, and I wish I didn't know all of that. A lot of people come in and out of your life, and sometimes I meet one that's important to me, and I feel like imparting some piece of information that might illuminate the inner workings of my soul, you know? But really what value will it have if that person just read it in GQ magazine? If you give yourself away to everybody, then you're worthless.

"When I was like 22, 23, I'd tell everybody anything about myself. I met someone in a bar, and they'd know my entire life story. It's only in the last five years that I kind of realized that I'm not making my loved ones special. What do the special people in my life get that everybody else doesn't? I might hit 40 and suddenly start becoming a celebrity media whore. But at the moment, I'm very happy to keep myself precious, if you know what I mean."

So, then: Don't bother asking a lot of questions about his marriage to actress Anne-Marie Duff, who was his co-star on the British TV show "Shameless" in 2004. They live in London. No kids. Low profile.

"We don't talk about each other much, and we don't turn up together at lots of events," he says. "We both really rejoice in having a normal life."

That might be changing as McAvoy's profile swells; after the "Atonement" premiere in London, a photographer was waiting outside the couple's home when they returned from an early-morning trip to the farmer's market. "First time in my life that's ever happened to me," he says with a sneer.

This fascination with celebrity -- he doesn't get it. "Celebrities really aren't that interesting or that important."

What about the perks, the free stuff, the swag, that staple of the celebrity-industrial complex? McAvoy says he has an allergic reaction to the gift suites at film festivals, award shows, etc.

"I went to one once, in Toronto," he says. "I very quickly felt quite used. And I think it kind of devalues the things I have. I've worked really, really hard. I love my car. It's a little [expletive] thing -- I don't want to tell you what kind -- but I love it. And I don't want someone to just come and give us a new one. I want to buy one. I don't want people calling me up, asking if I want a pair of their new jeans."

More celebripeeving: "The reason anybody chooses art is because they're probably representative of the human race. Then your life changes and you suddenly don't live with the rest of the human race. It changes your art because you're totally removed from reality. I think it's important to try and be a human being. Otherwise, what's your point of reference for representing humanity on the screen or in pictures or in novel writing or whatever?"

Such a Serious Young Man.

Or not. "I think my wife would be the first to tell you that I'm an absolute [expletive] idiot."