Up-and-coming Scottish actor Séamus McLean Ross is navigating the contradictions of craft and identity in real time. Best known for his work on Outlander and steadily building a name across stage and screen, Ross now steps into the spotlight with California Schemin’, which marks the directorial debut of James McAvoy. The film sees Ross take on his first leading role, blurring the line between performance and persona before scripted reality TV, social media, and oversharing became the norm. That duality carries into this exclusive editorial for Fucking Young, where Ross is captured in London by Guy Lowndes, with styling by Holly Macnaghten.
We need to talk about your film, California Schemin’. Can you now add ‘rapper’ to your resume? Who did you listen to to help you find your flow?
No, I’ve definitely got a newfound respect for rappers. I still give it a go though…the other day I was freestyling in my kitchen! It’s so hard. Me and my pal used to mumble the flow to rap songs over YouTube beats, thinking, “if only we had the words, this would sound banging!” But that’s a pretty big reach. I can rap someone else’s words; I just need two to three business days.
Mobb Deep was on heavy rotation, obviously the Beastie Boys, and Twinz by Big Pun and Fat Joe. That iconic bar, “little did we know that we riddled two middlemen who didn’t do diddly,” was a great one to warm the tongue up.
Shorts & Jacket by Eric AF
The film is rooted in the infamous Silibil N’ Brains scam. Did you meet Gavin Bain and Billy Boyd, who the film is based on? How did it go?
I met Gav in Soho. I was living in London at the time and nervously fired a text over. We met up – it was a bit awkward at first, I felt like a journalist, gathering facts, but also trying to figure out how to be him. I asked if I could record our chat, put my phone down, hit record, and asked him to tell me his story.
Cut to three or four pints later, and I’m completely enthralled. The sheer bravado and audacity of it all was like nothing I’d ever heard. I’m such a fanboy now. I left in a bit of a daze, thinking, how am I gonna do this?
But Gavin was there throughout filming, always on hand to answer my many questions. He was incredibly open and generous with me, which I can’t thank him enough for. Looking back on this experience, I feel a real wave of gratitude. In life, we pass a million people every day – it can feel overwhelming – but with a job like this, you get to deeply know someone, a real living person you might otherwise just walk past in the street. I think it’s helped me understand life more, our flawed human nature, and it’s given my priorities a big auld jig.
California Schemin’ tells such a wild, real-life story. What was your first reaction when you read the script?
Real joy. It felt like nothing I’d ever read. I booked the job in January 2024, a week into prep for Blood of My Blood, so it all didn’t quite feel real at first. I still had a whole season to shoot, and with that kind of time comes a lot of… procrastination.
I wrapped BOB in the summer and then decided to work with an acting coach to really interrogate the script – best decision I’ve ever made. His name’s Andrew Whyment, in case you’re wondering – he was class.
It was a pretty daunting prospect, if I’m honest, leading my first film. So Andy helped me map Gav’s journey, track where he is at different points, and really dig into the duality of Gavin vs Brains.
Did you ever fake an accent to get something?
All the time! I was doing a thick Cork accent while haggling with a fella in Dublin over a Fontaines T-shirt. I was tryna get him down from €20 to €18… but then I got recognised for the first time by an American girl.
“Are you Seamus McLean Ross?” she said, hesitantly. “…are you… Irish?”
Me and the market man both stopped mid-argument. I turned on the spot to face her and replied, in my very tepid Irish, “Yesshh…?” That was it – the deal was off. I lost my cred, and the man sold the T-shirt to a Japanese tourist for a fiver.
Suit by Heron’s Ghyll; Necklace by A Sinner in Pearls
The story pokes at the music industry and the idea of “selling” an identity. I think one of the deeper issues that viewers can relate to is imposter syndrome, is that something you have ever experienced?
It’s a constant battle. Confidence peaks and troughs, and sometimes when you think you’ll be feeling amazing, you end up feeling worse. I wasn’t in great mental health prior to shoot, I was having bouts of overthinking, which is literally the antithesis of acting.
Questions would spiral: is this film gonna be any good? What if I’m terrible in it and that’s my career over? And then it would drift into the wider existential anxieties like, are we in a simulation? You know…all the good shit.
I was having panic attacks, but thankfully, I was in Glasgow, as my family really helped me a lot and got me through filming. I’m so lucky. Gavin didn’t have the most stable mental framework either, so maybe there’s some truth in the idea that the characters you play sometimes align with where you’re at.
Do you think audiences today will read the story differently in the age of social media and self-invention?
As much as I’ve tried to put it down, I’ve grown up with a phone in my hand my whole life. I’d love to go back and read what professors thought the internet would become – the predictions they made. Did they anticipate what it would amalgamate? All these random niches and sub-genres from across the world, instantly connected. People posting their hopes and dreams. There’s definitely more democracy now in terms of sharing your voice than there was then.
It must have felt quite isolating without the internet, especially in Dundee in 2003, where you’re not necessarily connected to where the big conversations are happening. I think that line “London, that is in England… where the English are”, really taps into that sense of disconnect. So when live gigs rolled in, or you saw a flyer on a wall calling you to London, you went.
I don’t think it’s the same nowadays with phones, for better and worse. It feels like we have two realities now, and the one on our phones is often treated as the more important one. I’m a bit jealous of when things were more physical and vital, and people were perhaps less self-aware.
Shirt by Lemaire; Necklace by A Sinner in Pearls
The film marks the directorial debut of James McAvoy. What’s something you learned from working with him that you’ll carry into future projects?
He’s just raised my game entirely. His level of creative focus, courage, and confidence, always bringing it for the first take, has inspired me hugely. But more than that, he’s given me the ability to be proud of myself, to know I’m enough, and that I don’t have to “show my work.” That was a big thing. James came up to us all at the beginning of the shoot and said, “I wanna see you.” He expanded on it by saying that the character comes later – you are the person in front of the camera, and it’s your interpretation he’s interested in. You’re enough. That gave me real freedom and permission to trust myself and the work I’ve done.
Windbreaker Vintage Stella McCartney; Jean by Citizens of Humanity; Shoes by Jimmy Choo
If you had to create your own alter ego like Silibil N’ Brains, what would your persona be?
I do it for a living! I get to live many lives and travel back in time. But I’ve started thinking about this idea of a “performance version” of me versus a non-performance version, mainly to help me enjoy art more. Sometimes when I’m watching films and TV, it’s hard for me to be a good audience member. I’m thinking: how are they doing that? Are they not nervous? Do they not feel stupid doing that, knowing there’s a grip two feet away from them? How? Why? It’s my brain, classically overthinking again.
Acting can look like magic, and therefore, impossible for my couch brain to fully comprehend. I really believe in Quincy Jones’ old adage of “leaving 10% for God” – trusting the mystery inside yourself to let a story happen, and take on those other personas, whether you’re on set or on the couch.
Cardigan & shorts by Ahluwalia; Loafers by Grenson; socks by London Sock co.
After having done some press and attending more industry events and red carpets, has your style evolved since coming into the spotlight? Are there any designers or trends that you are gravitating towards?
I think my colour palette has gotten brighter. I love building an outfit and creating cool shapes; it’s fun. Sometimes, one good pair of trainers or a rare find of quality jeans can make a fit slap. I got given these fluffy wine-coloured Aloha football-style trainers with a massive tongue – they’ve been really handy. I like functional clothing that also looks cool and serves a purpose, especially for cold, wet climates like Scotland. So I’m into brands like Howlin’, Montbell, and I’m loving my ECCO Biom’s at the moment. They can get me from Loch Lomond to a cool boozer in the West End seamlessly without looking daft. But I think trying things out and looking back and cringing is really what it’s all about.
Is there one trend that you regret every wearing? Tell us the details, we have seen it all!
I mean, the Topman spray-ons and Nike Roshe era wasn’t great. Such a specific time, like 2013–2016. But that’s kinda what everyone was wearing.
I started getting into gorpcore around drama school. I do remember wearing a furry neck snood, a diver’s watch, docker trousers, and a Nike trail T-shirt. The more I think about it, I actually quite like it, lol. But I defos got a few looks, especially because it was June. It was also the time I was unironically wearing cheap see-through party sunglasses from Shoreditch. I actually felt class, even if I probably looked daft, but it made me happy. You can get away with a lot more in London.
Jacket, Shirt & Shorts all by Burberry; Shoes by Prada
Are there any lies that you would like to come clean from? An old teacher could be reading this!
I used to lie about everything as a kid, I’d just make stuff up. People must have known; they just never called me out. I think that’s probably why I’m deluded enough to be an actor. I remember telling my Italian friend’s dad in Glasgow that I was Italian on my dad’s side. “Rossi, my grandad was called that,” I said, just because I wanted to be Italian. I can’t even remember them all now, or maybe my brain is protecting me from the cringe.
Before we say goodbye, can you share with us some current or up and coming projects where we can catch you next?
Nothing I can say just yet, unfortunately, but watch this space. There may be a new Sili N Brain track on the way… that’s all I’ll say.
California Schemin’ is in cinemas now.
