Boys' Night Out: Max Irons

Irons, the youngest son of Jeremy Irons and Sinéad Cusack, will appear in “Red Riding Hood” (March 11), the dark, lusty thriller/fairy tale directed by Catherine Hardwicke, best known for turning Robert Pattinson into a demigod overnight with the original “Twilight” film. Irons plays Henry, one part of a very pretty love triangle, which also includes Amanda Seyfried, in the title role, and Shiloh Fernandez.

So he’s a heartthrob?

“Your words, not mine,” says Irons, on the line from Los Angeles, where he has just flown in from his home in London for an open-ended stint of press, press, meetings, press and meetings.

The thing about a phone interview is that, while immensely convenient for all involved, with it you forfeit your ability to observe and, most important, judge your subject up close and personal. By the sound of his voice, Irons is just lovely, all upbeat English charm, saying things like, “What’s that, love?” From the photos I’ve seen, he is gorgeous, or at least extremely photogenic, which is essential for a movie career. Even better, he tells me that he’s 6 feet 3 inches. And since everyone knows that Hollywood is the place where short guys go to thrive, things are looking good. He has his father to thank for the height.

The elder Irons has mostly imparted his wisdom with regard to the business side of the industry, leaving the technical for his son to learn on his own. “Acting advice is a bit like your parents teaching you how to drive a car,” says Max Irons. “You know they’re right, but you still kind of want them to shut up a bit.”

But if Max ever finds himself charged with nuancing the sexy side of a creepy character, he has several examples to look to from his father’s body of work, none of which have been off limits. “There is one I wish had been — it was called ‘Damage.’ Lots of sex scenes, which is quite hard,” says Irons.

So this was a family screening?

“No…thank God,” says Irons. “I would have run out of the room screaming.”

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