James McAvoy’s Huan

What’s astonishing about James McAvoy is how many different characters he’s able to play. I first saw him in Split, where he played 24 different personalities (I also watched the sequel, Glass).

Sometimes I like making guesses about the Human Design of actors, especially if I’ve watched them repeatedly, but for James McAvoy, I was stumped.

Is he able to tackle so many roles because he might be a Generator?

Is his identity easily shifted because the shifting IS his identity, or is he an undefined G?

Let’s explore.

James McAvoy’s Human Design Chart

James McAvoy is a 5/2 emotional Projector with a split definition.

Let’s break that down.

You can see he’s a Projector because:

1. His sacral is undefined.

2. He doesn’t have a motor center directly connected to his throat center.

His authority is emotional because his solar plexus is defined.

By all accounts, this is a man who was designed to wait (for himself).

Wait for the recognition, wait for the emotional wave to reveal the answer.

From Wikipedia:

McAvoy’s acting debut came at the age of 15 in The Near Room (1995). He later admitted that he was not very interested in acting when joining the film but was inspired to study acting after developing feelings for his co-star.

In 2001, McAvoy’s performance as a gay hustler in the play Out in the Open impressed director Joe Wright so much that Wright began offering McAvoy parts in his films. 

He starred in Privates on Parade in the Donmar Warehouse, this time catching Sam Mendes’ attention.

Incredible to watch the Projector strategy in action. He never set out to be an actor, but one gig led to more recognition, and clearly, it hasn’t stopped!

James McAvoy’s Undefined G Center

The G center is why I wanted to dig up his Human Design chart to begin with. Is he the characters, or is he genuinely shifting?

You can see he has an undefined G center – he is someone who relies on the defined G to help guide him in the next direction while able to shift himself into the different identities he plays.

The undefined G center can often feel like love, direction, and purpose is aloof since they do not have consistent access to that energy. Instead, they bump into the defined G center and, through strategy and authority, understand whether that G center’s healthy.

If the defined G center is healthy, the undefined G center may accept its conditioning and direction.

If the defined G center is not-healthy, the undefined G center may say, “Nah.”

He got into acting to get close to a love interest is poetic (I wonder if she was a defined G). In a way, she “guided” his directional compass into the world of acting, where he has been receiving back-to-back recognition and invitations.

The Channel of Recognition (30-41)

The Channel of Recognition is a “collective wave,” meaning his emotions (and imaginations) will go through cycles of highs and lows. Spikes and dips.

Note: Those who have this channel (or are undefined and around someone who this channel) can experience jarring ups and down’s between fantasy and reality. If this is your definition, experiment with riding the waves instead of resisting the current. If you are conditioned by someone with this wave, you can ride it out to learn more about them, or you can step away from the conditioning.

James McAvoy is capable of deep, intense fantasy. I wonder if it helps him get into character. His cognition is “taste” (which I found through Genetic Matrix) means he is designed to turn inwards and determine whether something is “to his taste.” You can see his cognition as a sense of style of character that is aligned with him.

This is why his characters initially threw me off – despite having an undefined G center, all of his characters feel uniquely “James McAvoy.” He tastefully becomes his character.

Mr. McAvoy, if you’re reading this, could you tell us if you have to hibernate for a while and “become” each individual character before you can step into the role?

My other suspicion that this is his process is because of his unconscious Line 2 profile (the Hermit). The Hermit is deeply individual – they are designed to hole themselves up with no external distractions and allow the answers to come forward internally.

Eventually, someone will recognize and call the Hermit out of hiding to share their findings (though James McAvoy may not answer, in his case!)

James McAvoy likely has a creative process for getting into character. Whatever he’s doing clearly works.

The Channel of Abstraction (64-47)

The other channel in James McAvoy’s chart is The Channel of Abstraction – he is designed to take complex memories and reflect on them to learn. 

Note: The flip side to this channel is the mental anxiety of running experiences through your mind and sticking yourself into a “what if?” loop. Memories are here to teach us about the present and future rather than leave us in a state of irreconcilable fear.

The split in James McAvoy’s chart is HUGE. You can see there’s no bridge from one channel to the other.

He relies on being around the correct group of people to form these bridges. (I may explore some of his connection charts in the future, such as what his chart looks like when he is connected to specific co-stars). 

The 5/2 Heretic-Hermit profile – “My Karma, first.”

5/2’s are a rare profile (only 2% of the population). James McAvoy cannot be pressured or pushed by other people or be forced to work on their timelines.

Earlier, I mentioned that Joe Wright kept wanting to cast James McAvoy. What happened was…

McAvoy kept declining them, however, and it was not until six years later that the two worked together.

He will be ready on his own time, which is why he as a Hermit, won’t necessarily accept when “called out”.

Line 5’s and Line 2’s have to deal with other people’s projections onto them. When the 5 or 2 is living in their not-self, it’s easy to try to be everything to everyone and lose yourself in the process. It’s an overwhelming amount of pressure.

I think it’s beautiful that James McAvoy has both of his pressure centers defined. His chart declares – “I create my own pressures which allow me to bring forth my own gifts.” He then takes those gifts shares them with the world (which brings recognition and invitations).

He is also likely a bit introverted, as many 5/2’s are. They need plenty of time to sit alone and contemplate in their own worlds, untainted by the pressures and ideas of others.

His work is genuinely his. Even though his G center is undefined, there is something distinctly “James McAvoy” in his art.