Funnyman Russell Brand was left red-faced after missing an opportunity to flirt with Charlize Theron because he didn't recognize the Oscar winner.

The Forgetting Sarah Marshall star met the South African actress at a party but he failed to make a good impression because he was behaving "like an idiot".

He says, "She's amazing, isn't she? I met her and it was embarrassing. I messed it up bad. I met her and didn't recognize her. I was at a party and I was looking at birds (women). She came over and said something untoward. And I showed off, like an idiot, not recognising her."

The Brit felt humiliated after realising his mistake, recalling, "I thought, 'Oh no! I didn't use any of my moves!'"

However, Brand, who split from wife Katy Perry last year (12), hopes to reintroduce himself to Theron at the MTV Movie Awards on Sunday (03June12).

He quips, "It's a new day, it's a new dawn, it's a new life. Is she single?"