I’ve never paid any attention to Max Irons, son of Jeremy Irons, before today. I had heard the name, of course, and some of you tried to convince me that he was hot (hot enough to marry his father for tax purposes?). So that’s why I actually took a moment to skim Max’s new interview and pictorial with Town & Country. And you know what? He seems like a douche-canoe. Sorry. The nepotism is strong with this one, and it’s really obvious that he considers his new role (he’s in the new Starz show The White Queen) as his long-awaited freedom from the young-adult-film genre. Here are some highlights from the T&C piece:
On the monarchy and aristocracy: “I like the monarchy… I like the queen; I like the princes,” he says, noting that they’re good for public morale. “But the rest of them? The Duke of Cornwall or Norfolk, you know, who doesn’t work, maybe does a very little bit of charity but has a vast inherited fortune and land that was all accumulated because of the feudal system?” he says, smiling crookedly. “Get rid of them!”
Playing King Edward IV in The White Queen: “It’s a bit Downton Abbey–meets–Game of Thrones,” he says. Indeed, the show is jam-packed with battles, betrayals, scheming dukes, and pay-cable nudity. “The Starz cut contains breasts and buttocks,” he says, without blushing. “The BBC cut doesn’t.”
Trying a wig: “I looked like Legolas from The Lord of the Rings, so we lost it on the first day.”
Who did he base the role on? Bill Clinton, Mick Jagger, Prince William, and, somewhat incongruously, Harvey Weinstein. “I was at an event with him recently, and the room seemed to orbit around him,” Irons says. “I once met Jay-Z, and it felt the same way.”
His early roles in 2011’s Red Riding Hood and 2013’s The Host: “Up to this point I’ve been involved in young adult fiction,” he says, shrugging. “It gets your foot in the door, I suppose.”
Failing publicly: “My dad said once, ‘Max hasn’t really had an opportunity to fail privately,'” he says. “My dad worked on small stages, instead of finding himself on the big screen, where if you fail, you’ve failed very, very publicly.” Irons says he recently turned down the lead in “a particularly large franchise” as “another male with romantic leanings and a six-pack.”
His goal: “You don’t want to earn your millions and then be nowhere in six years. I want to be working in 60 years.”
“It gets your foot in the door, I suppose.” He said with a shrug and an impertinent sigh. “I mean, it’s not like anyone would really pay attention to me if I wasn’t Jeremy Irons’ son. It’s not like I have shown producers and directors that I can carry a role or a film. But it’s all so plebian, you see. One must get one’s foot in the door doing all of this common mediocrity.” Yeah, you know what I think about actors who shade their work. You don’t have to tell me that The Host or Red Riding Hood was the greatest film experience ever, but you know what? Be happy that you’re working. Be happy that someone hired you, because you seem like a smug douche.
As for The White Queen – it’s based on Philippa Gregory’s novels, about the beginning of the War of the Roses, in 1464. Swedish actress Rebecca Ferguson plays The White Queen, Elizabeth Woodville.
Photos courtesy of Kevin O’Brien/Town & Country.
His father latest statements about gay-marriage showed he is not that “smart”, I bet his son might have inherited some douchiness somewhere in the family.
Agree. I think there’s a genetic flaw in the family.
It’s funny if he thinks his part in the white queen will be his breakthrough role. The show isn’t good (and I love periods shows) and he is bland in it. When he’s not in an episode, you don’t even notice it or miss him. The two actors who play his brothers are better than him, IMHO.
I preferred his father’s show “the Borgias”, but the show got cancelled… 🙁 So, I watched the white queen to see David Oakes again (he played Juan Borgia).
Max compares the white queen to Downton Abbey and he’s right it’s also a bad serie, although it can be fun to watch at times. And they have a good cast: Amanda Hale,Rebbeca Ferguson, Jane McTeer and James Frain are all good.
At least, his father is a talented and good actor, (even if he says crazy and stupid things).
Janet MCteer is amazing in it! I dont really care about Max Irons but his father is an very good actor.
Yeah Jeremy is an amazing actor. A douche, but still a talented douche lol
Agreed. ”The White Queen” is pretty meh (and I too will watch just about any historical drama) and Max Irons is awful in it. So are most of the young actors, imho, with the exception of Aneurin Barnard as Richard lll. I thought Rebecca Ferguson was terrible too – only one sulky facial expression. I did like JAnet McTeer and the lovely James Frain, however, despite the plodding script. Max is lucky he’s tall, handsome and has two famous parents, because he certainly wouldn’t get roles on the basis of his non-existent acting talent.
Amanda Hale and Aneurin Barnard were spectacular. The rest of it was rather tedious, although Lestrade with a big beard is rather tasty.
I don’t mind what Irons jr. has said in this interview, there’s a way to go about saying your earlier films were shite and this is possibly the politest way to manage it. It’d hold more weight if he could act his way out of a paper bag, though.
Oh, and dibs on Mr. Barnard.
The show is SO meh, but I’m still watching (mostly for James Frain — and also I’m a period romance junkie). Max Irons is very, very pretty; I don’t think I’ve seen him in anything prior to The White Queen. (Correction — I saw Dorian Gray, but I don’t remember him in it.)
The ONLY good thing about The White Queen was Ferguson (there are other good actors there, but you can almost see them cringing). That series was dire. I gave up after an episode or two and I’ll usually manage to the bitter end once I’ve started watching something.
Irons was awful and plastic and NOT Edward IV at all. I know a great many people dislike Jeremy Irons – and he does say some ridiculous things – but I love him. Can’t say the same for the son, though. Not a good actor and comes off as an entitled idiot.
(But he’s right about The White Queen in that it’s about the standard of Downton).
damn, I’ve DVR’ed it so I could watch, but if it’s not worth it, then I’ll delete. that’s disappointing..
I started watching The White Queen while waiting for DaVinci’s Demons to return. I love that show. I hope it doesn’t flop when it returns after such a dramatic mid season break… Anywho, TWQ is hard to watch. It’s so close to being kinda good, but falls short with story and acting.
This kid still has a ways to go. He should be more humble once this show goes the way of Camelot. That show was a mess.
Give ‘The White Queen’ a try! I found it most enjoyable and much better than most scripted TV. Of course, I’m a costume drama whore, but it was a fascinating glimpse into The War of The Roses.
Everything you said.
I’ve never seen the guy in anything. I just like saying his name. “MAX IRONS”. It sounds like a superhero or something.
Sounds more like a stripper, pornstar or hooker. Great name for sex work.
Look if I love it when a restaurant worker warns me off a dish. If you think the soup tastes like boiled sewage please give me a look or something. I appreciate when actors do me the same courtesy. Now if any of these films comes on TV, I’ll just go do my laundry or something. Thanks Max Irons!
Haha, exactly.
Yes. Max Irons sounds like a superhero on a Disney, Nickolodeon, Spy Kids series, something Ben-10 like. I expect him to have a dog as a side-kick also with superpowers.
His father has charisma and presence. This kid…not so much. He’s lucky he has a famous father…nothing memorable about him at all.
Irons Jr. is a complete douche canoe and he is also an eye-wateringly-bad actor. White Queen is drinking-game-worthy in its campy awfulness and he is front and centre among the worst offenders in the cast. He seems incapable of speaking a single line without doing a little head-bob. (See also the woman who plays one of the many characters in it named Margaret and who is clearly a firm believer in acting with her teeth.) In addition, he makes sure to mention in every single damn interview he gives that he is not an actor because of his parents. Both of whom are famous actors. Clearly, he is unaware of the concept of protesting too much.
Well his father is Jeremy Irons, what did you expect?
PS: I find the father way more attractive than the son. Max seems to look more like his mom unfortunately.
The Cusack genes are very strong. His half – brother Richard Boyd-Barrett is very like their maternal grandfather, Cyril Cusack, and Max certainly has the Cusack eyes.
It’s a shame that he’s not good because his grandfather was the grand master of Irish drama and film until his ðeath. Most of his aunts are also decent actors in their own right,
Yet another example of why the new young actors are not worth a damn. The odds of getting a job as an actor are slim. The odds of making a modest living are minuscule. The odds of making a good living? Well, it’s almost impossible. Listen to Clooney talk about his early days (Killer Tomatoes!). He jokes; but he is humble and GRATEFUL! This idiot though? Ugh.
I’ll always cut Clooney slack since he has paid his dues through hard work for many years, he’s allowed to be a little douchey but this Max kid just seems like an entitled brat impressed by his own surname. No thanks.
He would be cringe-worthy as Edward IV if I could work up enough emotion to even be disgusted by his blandness.
However, I didn’t like Gregory’s Edward in the novel either – or care much for any of her work.
Beyond bad in the white queen, I don’t know how the other cast members didn’t fall about laughing.
Just throwing this in. I’ve seen a few of his interviews. On TV, he comes off self-deprecating and kind of sweet, although there is definitely some scamp-verging-on-douche in there. Maybe he just doesn’t read well in print?
As for the acting, he’s got a long way to go. I believe he went to drama school (which might help explain his attitude towards the pop YA genre) but from what I’ve seen of The White Queen, it seems he didn’t take that too seriously.
And for looks, well, he’s cute but when I look at him too closely or too long, I see his mother.
I adored Phillip Gregory’s Boleyn saga. This saga is bland, boring and the TV show is worse.
Also the errors!!!! Seriously, did they not employ someone to correct the errors if not physically, in post?? We are talking visible zips on the clothing, 18th century railings, plumbing! Velvet/corduroy clothing, 17th century +. Boots on the men etc etc and so forth
I don’t mind the odd historical blooper, but the worst thing about TWQ was that there was just no ‘feel’ for the 15th century. Men marching into birthing chambers (MAJOR taboo!); no servants (when royals would have been attended at ALL times – even when in the privy); no references to religion, when it influenced every aspect of medieval life; no headdresses, when women of the period would sooner go out topless than without a head cover.
I mean, why bother setting a show in the 15th century when you’re going to make it look like ‘Hollyoakes’? Even The Tudors, much though it was criticised, made the viewer aware that this was a very different time with very different morals. It’s a shame really, as it could have been so good, but ruined by bad acting, a plodding script and banal direction.
The only novel I liked in the series was ‘the red Queen’.
That said, I liked the idea of putting all 4 novels together to come up with one mega TV show because the novels individually were incredibly flimsy and meh.
I was really looking forward to this show but as you say, they completely missed the 15th century.
I gave up after the 3rd episode. Felt like I was watching a Sunday afternoon teatime serial (ala any of Jane Austen’s novels). And that was after making a very concerted effort to ignore the bloopers.
This show wins hands down for the most bloopers.
I hardly see the White Queen becoming his big break, the series was soooo baaaaad! It got a bit better after the first two episodes, which were painful.
His role was actually pretty small, and he barely seemed to feature in the second half of the series. The only real stand-out for me was the Welsh lovely Aneurin Barnard, but then I’m biased because I saw him years ago in Spring Awakening and he was brilliant.
I don’t get the whole point of shading your past work. I mean, I think its obvious to people that you didn’t choose a particular movie because of the awesome script…lol.
He’s cute and charming, I had no idea he was Jeremy Irons’ son. That said what I really want an explanation for is his 30 second cameo in Dorian Grey where he was just there to make out with Ben Barnes. 😛
Oooh so that was him? I don’t even remember his face haha, Ben had all my attention!
Is it just me or does he look a bit like Hiddles in these photos? Or am I so infatuated with TommyAnnE that I’ve started seeing him everywhere these days? 😐
I think you’re a bit infatuated with TommyAnnE haha 😛 it’s ok…I tend to see TommyAnnE everywhere too haha
@Lexi:
That’s true. And more than a bit… *le sigh*
The White Queen actually perked up towards the end, not uncoincidentally the less Max Irons was in it – the more Aneurin Barnard (remember the name, he is going to be big) was on screen as Richard III, the more I enjoyed it. So hot, so talented. Max is a bit wooden, he doesn’t have his Dad’s sexy creepy effete quality. That said he is not unpleasant to watch and I can see him getting plenty of work as eye candy – he needs to check himself though as the entitled attitude is pretty unmerited. The White Queen sadly tanked on the BBC as people lost interest,probably muchly to do with Iron’s shouting and overemoting, but I would recommend sticking with it for the second half, the Welshman Barnard in it is divine. I can see it doing ok in the States, they aren’t as fussy about period inconsistencies as the Brits – it got slated here for historical inaccuracies despite being based on a fictionalised account of the War of the Roses, which I thought was a bit unfair.
unfortunately, the fictionalised account was really flimsy and bad.
Philip Gregory’s other fictionalised account of history ie the Boleyn saga was brilliant. The BBC version of THE OTHER BOLEYN GIRL was brilliant, though the film was bad. The rest of the novels in that series are really good except for ‘A constant Princess’ which was the one about Catherine of Aragon.
This saga of the war of the roses is written very much like ‘a Constant Princess’ and suffers for it.
Ooh, good. I’m only on the second episode (watching on Starz), and it’s pretty bad. But Aneurin Barnard caught my eye. I’m glad to hear he’ll be on the screen more.
This is the first time hearing of him for me.
I’m in love.
I think Max Irons is kinda hot…nowhere NEAR as amazing as his father as an actor though!
But on the other hand…I hate when actors complain about past movie roles. It’s like come on, so many actors out there are just waiters or something along those lines, barely making ends meat. Just wishing and hoping that they could have ONE movie role, a movie role that will probably never happen. So appreciate what you have.
I like him.
I liked him in “The Host”, better than the WQ. Having said that, still like WQ- I am another resident of the costume drama whore house/ lol!
PS/ his mother is attractive, so not getting the shade thrown her way by some posters.
Ugh licking up to Harvey freaking Weinstein ensures douchiness
He’s very forgettable-looking.
Jeremy Irons is and idiot and hate him in The Borgias and his son is a bigger douche.
Apple does not fall far….
I bet Divergent is the “particularly large franchise” with “another male with romantic leanings and a six-pack” the one he turned down. And to think so many people wanted him in it…I’m glad he didn’t take it. Douche.
I think he’s adorable!
Drama/theater school is bad for film actors.
There I said it.