Denzel Washington's tense King Charles chat at Gladiator II premiere

He's one of the most famous and respected actors in the world.

But that didn't stop Denzel Washington from seeming to briefly lose his cool when he was greeted by King Charles at Gladiator II's London premiere at the Leicester Square Odeon on Wednesday night.

The 69-year-old Oscar winner was joined by his costars Paul Mescal, Pedro Pascal, Connie Nielsen and Joseph Quinn, as well as director Ridley Scott, for a meeting with the premiere's guest of honor, King Charles.

Charles greeted them one by one, but things took a decidedly awkward turn when it was Denzel's opportunity to shake the royal's hand.

'I didn’t know if I was supposed to grab your hand,' the actor stammered with a seemingly nervous look on his face.

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In video of the awkward encounter, Charles appears to ask Denzel about playing the Roman emperor Macrinus.

'I'm just, you know, an awful...' he seems to say while trailing off, before adding, 'I’m a lovely man you’ll see. I’m a lovely chap.'

He reiterated, 'I'm a lovely chap, and doing my best,' but Charles didn't leave him hanging.

The royal moved on to shake hands with Pedro, but added a quick compliment to the Malcolm X star: 'You've been in so many films — it's fantastic.' 

'Thank you, thank you,' Denzel replied graciously. 

Things were less awkward as Charles greeted the other actors, though they all looked similarly honored to meet him.

The king appeared to have a particularly animated, though brief, conversation with Ridley Scott at the start of the line. 

Prior to King Charles' arrival, Denzel was spotted out on the red carpet as he took some time to chat with fans ahead of the high-profile film premiere.

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He was also joined by his wife Pauletta on the red carpet. She looked elegant in a white satin blouse, black skirt and a cozy double-breasted overcoat draped over her shoulders.

Washington recently revealed that his character kissed another man in one Gladiator II scene, but it was left out of the final cut. 

Missing from the premiere was Queen Camilla, who was forced to withdraw from events earlier this month after coming down with a chest infection.

The premiere came on the cusp of King Charles' 76th birthday on Thursday.

The celebration didn't stop him from working, though, and he used the day to open the first of two new Coronation Food Hubs.

Gladiator II is a sequel to Scott's 2000 film Gladiator, which starred Russell Crowe and Joaquin Phoenix.

While Connie Nielsen is returning, the rest of the cast is largely new this time around.

Paul Mescal stars as Lucius, the son of Crowe's character Maximus. 

He follows his father's fate and becomes a gladiator after a Roman army led by General Marcus Acacius (Pedro Pascal) takes control of his home.

As part of Lucius' plan for revenge, he risks his life to fight in the arena for Macrinus (Washington), a former slave. 

Macrinus' uses Lucius as part of his plan to overthrow the dual emperors Geta and Caracalla, as he hopes to assume their throne.

The film has so far attracted praise from critics, and it boasts an impressive 74 percent fresh rating from critics surveyed by Rotten Tomatoes. 

Gladiator II will be released in theaters on Friday, November 15, in the UK, and American audiences can see it one week later on Friday, November 22.