Angelina Jolie and James McAvoy in Wanted Courtesy of Universal Pictures

"That was pretty hardcore," remembers McAvoy of the scene. "There's a car doing 30 miles an hour and I had to jump on top of it. We'd start off at five miles an hour, then six, until we're up to thirty." He cracks a witty smile. "And the entire time there's a voice in the back of the head saying, 'Stop this now, you fucking idiot.'"

Yet McAvoy says there's not a drastic difference between working on period dramas like Becoming Jane or The Last Kind of Scotland and a big-budget popcorn thriller. "Making a movie is quite a chaotic thing," he explains, "so, weirdly, there are a lot of similarities. Financially, there are more people concerned with money on [Wanted], you know, such as the stunt team concerned that we're about to blow $300,000 dollars on a stunt that might take three seconds. And that leaves you a little bit in a place of isolation, but also in a great place of freedom."

Starring opposite such Hollywood luminaries as Morgan Freeman, who plays icy-cool Fraternity overlord Sloan, and Jolie, who acts as Wes' mentor in all things dangerous, also presented both its artistic and personal perks. "When Morgan got cast, I was beside myself," effuses McAvoy. "Getting to work with him was just a privilege. And Angelina — she was really cool, and we got along well. She's a fantastic actress, just a chilled-out lady, and a fantastic person."

Costar Thomas Kretschmann, who plays Cross, the rogue assassin that kills Wes' father, is equally complimentary. "James McAvoy is the perfect actor. It doesn't get better than that... I think he deserved an Oscar nomination for Atonement and The Last King of Scotland. As an actor, I've been just... in awe. He never did a wrong take, he's very smart, he knows what's important, and he's a nice person."

But while audiences might want more of McAvoy's fancy on-screen footwork, don't expect the laid-back Scotsman to pop up in the next Die Hard. "I didn't wan to run back to Jane Austen," jokes McAvoy of the physical toll Wanted took on his body, "But the next film I did was sent in 1910 [The Last Station]. I just wanted to do something different again. Hopefully the next thing I do will not be action based. Hopefully, it won't be like anything I've done before. I want to keep on doing new things."