“It felt daunting – but also like a privilege”: Samuel Bottomley, Lucy Halliday and Séamus McLean Ross on California Schemin’

Let’s be honest – when James McAvoy calls you up with the chance to star in his directorial debut, there’s probably very little hesitation. However, taking on the stranger-than-fiction story of two Dundee rappers pretending to be Californian artists in order to circumvent the prejudices of the early-2000s music industry is no small feat, and the stars of California Schemin’ really had their work cut out for them.

In a short and lively interview, we sat down with Samuel Bottomley, Lucy Halliday and Séamus McLean Ross to talk about the challenge of bringing this true-life story to the screen – from mastering accents and performance to stepping into characters within characters – as well as some of the toughest moments on set, not least performing in front of a real crowd at Glasgow’s Barrowlands.

We also spoke about the key role of Mary, played by Halliday, who stands out as a rare example of a female character in this kind of story who isn’t flattened, but instead acts as a grounding force throughout the emotional truth of the film. And beyond the chaos and comedy, the conversation turned to McAvoy’s passion for platforming working-class Scottish voices, and the film’s wider message that, ultimately, you should be free to be yourself – regardless of what society, the industry or anyone else might expect of you.

Sarah Bradbury

California Schemin’ is released nationwide on 10^th April 2026.

Watch the trailer for California Schemin’ here: