Alan Rickman was stunned to learn his Cbgb co-star Keene Mcrae was from Alabama at the end of the movie, because the newcomer mimicked rock star Sting so well the veteran was convinced he was British.

Rickman, who plays Cbgb club boss Hilly Kristal in the new movie, is friends with the former The Police frontman and he complimented MCRae on perfecting the singer's soft-spoken Geordie accent.

But director Randall Miller admits the young star with a bright future wasn't all he appeared to be.

He tells Wenn, "Keene MCRae, who plays Sting, was a casting call guy who was amazing and came from Alabama. Alan is actually friends with Sting in real life and Keene came in and did an amazing accent.

"He said he was from Birmingham, Alabama and we said, 'No you're from Birmingham, England, and you're never gonna say you're not,' so he kept that accent until he finished shooting.

"On his last day we said, 'Now you can tell Alan now where you're really from!' He was astonished."

The new film captures the sights and sounds of the New York punk mecca during its late 1970s heyday and features Foo Fighters star Taylor Hawkins as Iggy Pop, Malin Akerman as Blondie star Debbie Harry, Justin Bartha as Dead Boys frontman Stiv Bators and Joel David Moore as Joey Ramone.