Transcribed by JeremyIrons.Org from the Mango
Catalog which was brought to us by a friend from the Rome Mango Shop
It's 9A.M. in Barcelona. We're on set waiting for Max, for our first meeting. He's the tall guy with just the laid-back air we were expecting. The make-up and hair session, which only lasts about 20 minutes, starts, and he tells us:
"To be honest, I don't think I'm very conscious of my own style. I see things I like, maybe on the screen or on the street, or occasionally in magazines. I dress to suit the way I feel – if I'm in a good mood I'll wear one thing, if I'm in a bad mood I'll wear something else."
When we ask about his style icons, his sources of inspiration, he chooses two people:
"I like the way James Dean dressed. He was confident in himself and you could tell that from the way he dressed. He knew what he liked and he kept it simple. Johnny Depp dresses very well too. Yeah, go with those two for the moment."
He continues talking as he rolls a cigarette with liquorice paper.
"They're both men who know what they think and aren't afraid to express themselves, which is something you have to admire. They made dangerous choices throughout their careers and with the work they've done, and people would tell them they were crazy to accept some of the roles they did but they went ahead and did what they wanted. And made the most of it. So I admire them for that."
Interestingly, he doesn't mention his father, Jeremy Irons, perhaps because he wants to keep a respectable distance from him.
"My day starts at 10 in the morning because I'm rehearsing a new play. It's about a rogue general during the thirty years war. There's betrayal, there's backstabbing...it's a thriller, basically."
"I love swimming. I do a special type of swimming, which is a bit embarrassing. It's called free diving and it's a combination of breathing and swimming. It's a crossover between exercise and meditation and I love it because it's very calming. Swimming is usually pretty stressful, but this sport is very peaceful and relaxing."
