James McAvoy: 'Professor X is bit of a sex pest'

James McAvoy has revealed that his character in X-Men: First Class is happy to abuse his powers.

McAvoy plays Professor X in the highly-anticipated reboot of the X-Men franchise. The actor spoke to New York Magazine about portraying a younger version of a character made famous by Patrick Stewart.

"The first thing you see - I hope they keep this s**t in, I'm paranoid - is that I played him as a bit of a sex pest, quite happy to abuse his powers," said McAvoy. "It's not that he would ever mind-f**k anyone into having sex with him, but he definitely mind-tickles somebody into having sex with him."

The 32-year-old X-Men star previously described Professor X as having an ego, stating that the new film explores the mutant's darker side.

McAvoy's co-star Michael Fassbender recently said that X-Men: First Class is sophisticated, claiming that the themes of the movie, which is set in the 1960s, complement the civil rights movement that was taking place at the time.

X-Men: First Class is out now in UK cinemas and comes out in the US tomorrow.

Watch an X-Men: First Class training montage video below: