James McAvoy visited Dorney Park, shouts out Steel Force rollercoaster
"What a brillant day," McAvoy wrote in the caption of an Instagram post that featured a photo with Dorney Park staff.
James McAvoy: Actor … and roller-coaster enthusiast?
McAvoy, known for his roles in the X-Men series and Atonement, visited Dorney Park with his family Thursday, taking to Instagram to shout out his favorite rides.
“What a brilliant day,” McAvoy wrote in the caption of a slideshow that featured him posing with staff. “Steele [sic] force is a class I’ve [sic] coaster of the modern age, and we road [sic]another that was built 100 years ago and still provided all the thrills.”
The park, it seemed, was equally enchanted.
“Thank you for bringing your light and laughter into our park. We LOVED having you here,” commented Dorney Park’s official Instagram account.
Dorney Park is Pennsylvania’s second-oldest amusement park, opening its doors in 1884, six years after Idlewild opened in the suburbs of Pittsburgh. Its main attractions are Thunderhawk, a now century-old wooden behemoth that was designated a landmark in 2021, and Steel Force, a steel roller-coaster that takes riders through four tunnels and two hills at speeds of 75 mph.
» READ MORE: Dorney Park announces new chaperone policy for guests 15 and younger, citing ‘unruly and inappropriate behavior’
McAvoy also has other Pennsylvania bona fides: He married Philadelphia native Lisa Liberati in 2019, whom he met on the set of the Philly-based M. Night Shyamalan film Split. McAvoy played Kendall Crumb, a man whose 23 personalities battle for control after one goes haywire and encourages him to abduct three teenagers. Liberati was Shyamalan’s personal assistant during filming.
In his wedding announcement in the Guardian, McAvoy called Philly his “second home.” He also attempted a surprisingly spot-on Delco accent while hosting Saturday Night Live in 2019 and taught former costar Jessica Chastain the all-encompassing meaning of the word “jawn.”
» READ MORE: Actor James McAvoy reveals marriage to Philadelphia native
Why was McAvoy able to take his family to Dorney Park on a random Thursday?
The SAG-AFTRA strike halted production of McAvoy’s forthcoming horror film Speak No Evil, which had five days left of filming in the United Kingdom when the set shut down in mid-July.
SAG-AFTRA is striking for increased residual rates from work that appears on streaming services and a higher minimum wage, among other things, joining the Writers Guild of America on the picket line last month.
Last time a strike of this proportion occurred was 2007, when it took studios 100 days to reach a fair contract with writers.
In other words, this could go on for a while, providing McAvoy ample opportunity to explore Pennsylvania’s oddest attractions, from Ambler’s Stooge museum to Pizza Brain’s large collection of pizza-themed memorabilia in Fishtown.