Max Irons spellbound by Mirren

Max Irons felt like he was meeting the queen when he was introduced to Dame Helen Mirren.

The British actor bagged the part of Fritz in Woman in Gold but despite the movie also starring Helen, they share no scenes. That didn't stop Max, 29, from badgering everyone until he was allowed to meet the Hollywood icon.

"Luckily we did meet each other. Every day, when I was picked up and taken to set, I'd ask, 'Is Helen there today' You have to tell me, I can't miss her!'" he laughed to stuttgarter-zeitung.de.

"And suddenly it was happening: Helen is here today and you can meet here. My heart was in my throat. I felt like I was meeting the queen, that's how affected I was by her amazing film [Helen played Britain's Queen Elizabeth II in 2006's The Queen]. But then she came into my make-up trailer wearing a tracksuit and she was really laidback and funny."

Max is the son of British actor Jeremy Irons, who has worked with Helen in the past, however his father was always keen to keep his family away from work. Similarly, Max never used his famous surname to get ahead.

"The class system is such a hated thing in England, everyone reacts to it with nepotism," he admitted. "That's why I never made it obvious who my parents are. I just couldn't be bothered with people saying: 'Oh, he only got the job because of his dad.' Of course I do get that sometimes, but at least I know that's not the case."