Miss Austen star Max Irons has mega-famous parents
Max Irons is the son of acting royalty, but his parents – Jeremy Irons and Sinéad Cusack – "actively discouraged" him from entering the industry. According to the 39-year-old: "They said, 'Our careers were a collection of 20 to 30 lucky incidents. Don't look at us and think it will be the same.'"
A member of the Cusack acting dynasty, Max's mother is best known for her roles in North and South (2004), V for Vendetta (2006), A Room with a View (2007) and Napoleon (2023). Sinéad's sisters are Sorcha Cusack and Niamh Cusack, both of who have an extensive list of film and TV credits.
As for Max's father, Oscar-winner Jeremy has starred in Die Hard with a Vengeance (1995), Lolita (1997), The Merchant of Venice (2004), Kingdom of Heaven (2005) and The Lion King (1994).
Despite his parents' notoriety, Max had a relatively normal childhood away from the world of celebrity. "My parents kept me away from all of it. I had no real memories of going on set, or paparazzi or parties or anything like that," he told The Independent.
For Max, questions about his famous parents come up all too often, and while he's used to it, it can be challenging. "Interviews all end up mentioning my dad," he noted.
"And I always feel slightly sorry for the journalists because inevitably they're going to get the same answer, which is that: it has its advantages … it might get you a meeting … but the disadvantage is that if you don't do a good job, people will be quick … especially in this country … to say 'Oh, nepotism'. It's slightly dispiriting."
Asked if he'd be interested in acting alongside either of his parents, Max replied: "That's my nightmare.
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"My mum maybe, but my dad … that would be really difficult. Have you ever met him? He's a force of nature, I'll put it that way; he likes to make his voice heard on set, and I wouldn't be able to disentangle father and actor. No, keep well away from that."
While the idea of working with his parents hasn't always been desirable, Max has shared the screen with his cousin, Calam Lynch, who plays Tom Fowle in Miss Austen.
The two appear to be close, with Calam telling The Irish Times that he often turns to Max for advice.
"I talk to Max, my cousin, more than anyone about work," he said. "When we were younger I just thought Max was like a sort of God on earth. And I still do. He's such a beautiful man, I'm delighted to be related to him. With career things and decision-making, I've run to him a couple of times. He's quite close to my age and he was going up for similar parts when he was my age. I always want to get his take on things."
