Irish actor Jonathan Rhys Meyers says he was thrilled to get the chance to work with his childhood idol John Travolta.

The two teamed up in the action thriller, "From Paris With Love," which features undercover agent Charlie Wax (Travolta) and nerdy diplomatic official James Reece (Rhys Meyers) trying to stop a terrorist attack in Paris.

Rhys Meyers says he's idolized Travolta since his role as disco dancer Tony Manero in the 1977 blockbuster "Saturday Night Fever."

"When you are about five or six years old you play stupid games, and we used to all try to copy Tony Manero walk with the paint can, and we thought that was cool, so everybody would try and walk the same way and be cool. I always won.”

Meanwhile, Travolta said he was delighted the two got on so well.

He said: “The chemistry is never predictable and fortunately we got on like wild fire.

“We both have the gift of the gab and we were talking incessantly between takes to get to know each other and to exchange ideas. We are both very communicative. I think it was organic.”