Charlie Hunnam

Charlie Hunnam

'Pacific Rim' star Charlie Hunnam wanted to punch Idris Elba in the face.

In the sci-fi blockbuster directed by Guillermo del Toro - which centres on the futuristic war between otherworldly monsters named Kaijus and man-made robots called Jaegers - the actor's heroic character Raleigh Beckett shares a frosty relationship with Elba's Stacker Pentecost, the commander of the Jaeger initiative, and it seems this translated off screen, too.

Hunnam said: "Idris is great, [but] as Raleigh Becket did, I found our off-screen dynamic is very similar to the on-screen dynamic. Sometimes I would just love Idris and have so much respect and admiration for him, and then other times I just wanted to punch him in the face."

The British actor also revealed that he has become good friends with the film's Mexican director - del Toro - who has vowed to include him in all of his upcoming English language films, including a lead role in his next flick, 'Crimson Peak'.

He said: "He's just a sweetheart to work with. He's a very, very, just kind and generous and collaborative man. I can't speak highly enough of him.

"He's certainly expressed an interest in me being in all of his English language films from now on. He said that to me at the end of the movie, 'Oh, you're in, my friend.' And I said, 'What do you mean?' He said, 'I'm going to put you in every English language film I ever make from now on.' "

'Pacific Rim' is in cinemas today (12.07.13).