Leonardo DiCaprio has said he was excited about the prospect of working with Dame Judi Dench on his latest movie.
The veteran British actress plays Leonardo's mother in Clint Eastwood'sJ Edgar biopic, starring Leonardo in the title role as FBI chief J Edgar Hoover.
Hollywood hearthrob DiCaprio, 35, described himself as "a fan".
"She's a sweetheart, she couldn't be more lovely. But as soon as the cameras start rolling and you hear that voice, it's powerful," he said.
"We had a scene where I am freaked out, stuttering, and her voice just froze my spine.
"She has a way of commanding a scene in a room, and it's just astounding."
HuffPost UK has an exclusive clip of an awkward moment in J Edgar. Click here for our exclusive clip
DiCaprio said of his lead role in the film, "This was one of the most challenging characters I'd ever seen on the page, and it was terrific to breathe life into this person, because he was such a mystery."
"Hoover was incredibly ambitious as a young man. He was highly motivated to succeed in Washington, primarily due to his mother's expectations of him."
J Edgar opens in cinemas on Friday January 20. Watch the trailer here: