Inhabiting the role of a living, breathing and talking rabbit is no mean feat, as Watership Down‘s James McAvoy has revealed he almost passed from the strain of creating his spirited animal sounds for his character Hazel.
The Split actor plays the main protagonist in the BBC and Netflix adaptation of the much-loved Richard Adams novel, which also stars Peter Capaldi, Olivia Colman, John Boyega, Gemma Arterton, Ben Kingsley and Nicholas Hoult, to name but a few.
Recalling what the recording process was like – each actor recorded their parts separately and without seeing any of the animation – McAvoy told press including Good Housekeeping at the show’s recent screening: “You find yourself getting really lightheaded doing the rabbit noises…
“I almost passed out a couple of times doing those sounds!”
Hoult also revealed the unusual way he secured his part as Fiver in the series. Fiver is Hazel’s younger brother, and his trippy premonitions prompt the band of rabbits to flee their warren.
“James was wearing a Watership Down t-shirt when we were filming in Montreal together and I was like, oh Watership Down, and James was like, ‘yeah, I’m doing the voice for it’.
“And I was like, ‘really they’re doing another one?’ and you were like, yeah, you should do it, and that’s how i got on to it.
