To promote his role as Professor Charles Xavier, a powerful telepath, in the upcoming X-Men: Apocalypse, James McAvoy headed to The Late Show with Stephen Colbert to show off his own mind-reading skills. When Colbert asked how McAvoy connected with the character of Xavier, the actor – charming as ever – casually mentioned “I can read minds,” prompting Colbert to respond he had an identical skill. That led to an amusing albeit incredibly silly segment where the two proceeded to read the minds of various audience members.
It's a very Conan-like sketch (right down to the crack about the show being unable to afford the rights to a Beatles song) but it works well on The Late Show, primarily because of both Colbert and McAvoy's commitment to the silliness – as well as some double-entendre. But really, it's worth it to hear McAvoy's ridiculous phrases (“Sugar alley!”) while “probing” people's minds, as well as his swoon-worthy accent (even Colbert can't help but comment on the way McAvoy pronounces “clown”).
You can watch the bit below.