Russell Brand Says ‘Arthur’ Co-Star Helen Mirren Told Him: Don’t Respect Me

Russell Brand says he was on his best behavior when he started working with Dame Helen Mirren — until she told him off for it.

The extroverted British comedian plays a drunken playboy in the remake of the 1980s comedy “Arthur,” alongside Mirren as his straight-laced and long-suffering nanny.

Brand told a news conference in Sydney on Thursday that “she’s like, you know, a dame and a lady and so I was naturally quite respectful.”

“I kind of was shy when I met her. I think she just did that to you know, break the ice: ‘Don’t respect me,’ she said.”

Brand said he’s actually very polite in private, and would never have disrespected the woman who won as Oscar in 2006 for her depiction of Queen Elizabeth II.