An Oral History of “Split”: M. Night Shyamalan and James McAvoy Talk Finding Horror Gold in the Mind

After his first Fresh hit in years (the small but mighty ‘The Visit’), M. Night Shyamalan mounted his unofficial “comeback” with 2017’s Certified Fresh horror breakout ‘Split,’ about a man named Kevin Wendell Crumb (James McAvoy) and his 23 different identities. The character was actually supposed to appear in ‘Unbreakable,’ but Shyamalan had written him out of the script for balance…and saved him for a rainy day. In this special oral history of the film, Shyamalan and McAvoy reveal the road to Kevin’s second chance at the big screen, and the road McAvoy took to finding the perfect way to play Kevin (and Patricia, and Hedwig, and the Beast…). The actor would go on to give one of the most acclaimed performances of the year, one which Shyamalan reveals was even more magical to witness up close as it was happening on set.