‘Vampire Diaries’ star overwhelmed by grandpa’s fans

CEBU, Philippines - Some “Vampire Diaries” fans may not know that Steven R. McQueen, who plays Jeremy Gilbert on The CW series, is named after his famous grandfather, Steve McQueen.

McQueen, known as the “king of cool” in 60s and 70s Hollywood, is the subject of Spike TV’s upcoming documentary, “I Am Steve McQueen.”

“I just saw the documentary for the first time. It was incredible,” McQueen said. “I never got to meet my grandfather and I’m sure the younger audiences don’t know much about him. So, it was cool for myself to learn about him, and hopefully some people that will watch.”

Steven said that watching his grandfather’s films actually inspired him to act. “I was like, ‘Wow, this guy’s pretty cool. Maybe, I want to give this a shot.’”

Narrated by Robert Downey, Jr., “I Am Steve McQueen” features interviews with Steven, his family and the iconic actor’s famous fans, including Pierce Brosnan and Gary Oldman.

“I’ve always looked up to Gary Oldman,” Steve said of his favorite famous fan of his grandfather from the documentary. “He’s always been one of my favorite actors since I can’t even remember when. I went the day that they interviewed him and I was in awe, just kind of listening to him speak and getting to shake his hand. It was an incredible experience. I was overwhelmed.”