James McAvoy physical trait that costs him movie roles

X-Men star James McAvoy has revealed he's missed out on a number of movie roles because of one particular physical trait. Photo / Getty Images

Actor James McAvoy revealed the surprising reason he's turned down for movie roles, according to Fox News.

The X-Men actor, who is 170cm tall, told The Telegraph: "As a shorter man, I sometimes get told I'm too short for a role.

"Or even when I get a role, I'm made to feel like, well, of course, we're going to have to do something about that," the 40-year-old added in reference to a female co-star who argued their on-screen romance was not believable due to their height difference.

Kodi Smit-McPhee as Nightcrawler in X-Men: Dark Phoenix with James McAvoy. Photo / Supplied

The unnamed female co-star reportedly questioned McAvoy's casting "because nobody would believe (the character) would be with someone like her".

"That was a kick in the nuts," he admitted.

"I was like, 'All right, now I've got to pretend that I really like you for eight more weeks. This is going to be really tough because you're so far up yourself'. It got really interesting, that relationship.

"Sometimes you're made to feel like you're not good-looking enough to get a role."

James McAvoy stars in It Chapter Two.