An Ironclad Commitment

In an industry that’s full of uncertainty, Max Irons is unshaken in his passion for acting, the roles he would (or wouldn’t) choose, and the life that he wants to live.

- Asri Jasman

It’s natural to think that, growing up in a family of actors, Max Irons would have been groomed from an early age to inherit that same passion for the performance art. Yet, as Irons tell us, that wasn’t the case.

“I actually wanted to be a teacher for most of my life. But then, when I was at school, I started bits and pieces in school plays and found it more engaging than anything I was doing academically. And I suppose when you’re at that age, you’re drawn to what you find most engaging,” Irons recalls. “And for my parents, it wasn’t a prerequisite at all.”

Irons is the son of multiple award-winning actors Jeremy Irons and Sinéad Cusack, with a host of other relatives—from grandparents to aunts and uncles—part of the film, television and theatre worlds too. “My parents were very worried when I told them I wanted to act because they recognised that they’ve had very fortunate careers,” says Irons. “Certain aspects of this career are luck and being at the right place at the right time. But also, it’s inherently unstable; it’s hard to carve out a career for a whole lifetime.”

That didn’t stop the British actor from pursuing his passion. Irons decided to enrol in drama school (“It’s the British way of approaching to becoming an actor.”), specifically London’s prestigious Guildhall School of Music and Drama, of which actors such as Joseph Fiennes, Alfred Molina, Ewan McGregor and Lily James are some of its notable alumni. It was then that his parents began noticing his dedication and started supporting his endeavour.