Scotland will vote Yes ‘within 10 years’ - James McAvoy

SCOTS actor James McAvoy believes Scotland could be an independent country within ten years.

James McAvoy in character as bent copper Bruce Robertson in Filth. Picture: Contributed

The X-Men star, born in Glasgow, has not revealed what way he voted in last year’s historic referendum but has stated that he would ‘like independence at some point’.

McAvoy told the Sunday Times Culture magazine: “A lot of people who wanted [independence] voted ‘No’ last time because they didn’t like Alex Salmond and sensed there was ego at play, rather than a conscientious leader.”

The 36-year-old, who portrayed corrupt copper Bruce Robertson in Filth, the 2013 film version of the Irvine Welsh novel of the same name, even referenced the ‘conscious uncoupling’ term, famously used to announce the separation of Coldplay singer Chris Martin and actoress Gwyneth Paltrow.

McAvoy added: “When we get [independence] it’ll be - as Gwyneth once said - a conscious uncoupling, rather than a messy break-up.”

McAvoy also believes that any ‘split’ in the Union would be a ‘grown-up, less harmful divorce’ than what could have happened if Scots had voted Yes on September 18 last year.

During the lead-up to the referendum, McAvoy avoided getting caught up in the debate, admitting that he felt it would be ‘counter-productive’ to his career.

Despite fellow Scots actors including Brian Cox, Elaine C Smith and Alan Cumming publicly backing the Yes campaign, McAvoy said: “I won’t be getting involved at all. It’s just counter-productive to my job, it’s not what I do, and I don’t think it’s helpful to have me involved in it.

“I don’t trust a single politician out there. So why should you have people who are professionally trained to pretend out there selling these people that they don’t trust anyway?”

In May 2014, McAvoy told the Scotland on Sunday that he was ‘anti-political’ when it came to Scottish independence.

He said: “This should be a choice about identity, not about whether we’ll get oil, the pound or whether we will be richer.

“You know that there are statements that just can’t be backed up on both sides. It shouldn’t be a question of ‘are things going to be better?’ There’s no country in this world that says, ‘I’m really happy with this government. Taxes are great, education is great and everything is cool, because I voted for my guy’.”