James McAvoy recalls terrifying health scare after ‘botched’ lung biopsy: ‘I nearly died’

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: James McAvoy had a near-death experience following a botched medical procedure before filming 'Glass.'

The 47-year-old actor opened up about the frightening experience during a podcast, describing the physical struggles he faced while trying to recover and return to work.

He also revealed how doctors detected a problem in his lung that initially made him fear he had cancer, only for him to later learn that it was not cancer.

James McAvoy’s botched lung biopsy nearly killed him

On Monday, October 12, the 47-year-old actor opened up about the frightening experience and the physical struggles he endured during an episode of Dax Shepard’s 'Armchair Expert' podcast.

“I had a lung puncture because they saw a shadow in my lung, so they wanted to biopsy it to see if it was cancer, which it wasn’t, which was great,” he said.

“But that was botched, and I nearly died,” he shared. “I was at home two days later, my lungs just collapsed in bed one night, and I was on my own as well, so it was crazy.”

McAvoy revealed that he spent two to three weeks in the hospital as doctors struggled to help him recover. He also developed an infection after a treatment failed to work.

“They tried everything to clean (it) out - nothing was working,” he recalled. “So they were like, ‘We’re going to cut you open, big style. Go in with, like, dish soap, basically, and just clean you out, scoop it all out.’”

James McAvoy’s intense physical transformation for 'Glass'

McAvoy had to recover quickly to get back in shape for 'Glass,' the psychological thriller in which he showcased a muscular physique.

The actor underwent an intense physical transformation to achieve the ripped look required for the role.

For those unfamiliar with the film, McAvoy reprised his role as Kevin Wendell Crumb, a man with 24 distinct personalities, including the Beast, a cannibalistic figure with superhuman abilities.

“Unlike Split, I was the Beast (for) most of the movie, and I was just outside in broad daylight as well,” he said. 

“So I was like, ‘I’m really going to need to do the real thing. I’m going to need to go for it.’ I remember saying, like, ‘You’re going to get me a trainer.’ I’m going to need somebody that can make (me) look like a Greek figure from mythology.”

“The guy that worked with me was amazing,” he continued. “For the first four weeks, he rehabilitated me. I could walk, but I couldn’t run, couldn’t cycle, couldn’t jog. … He did a lot of rehabilitation and functional movement, and then put the pounds on me really fast.”