Max was born, as is often pointed out to him, on Star Wars Day, 1990 in London, England. He grew up with two mothers, one Italian by way of America, one English with Welsh roots, and lived a blissful four years of understanding this to be perfectly normal. And then he began going to school. As it turned out this wasn't the typical situation of other children, and their curiosity was worsened by the distinct difference in his tanned skin and the fair complexions of both his mothers. When paired with the kind of bookworm shyness that could cause a child to shrink away from his peers, Max became a target. His voice diminished, his interest in friendship became near obsolete, and he chose to lose himself in books and headphone filled with music, shutting himself out from the world around him which didn't understand him and made no effort to. His parents tried their best to make it easy for him. They offered complete honesty, comfort, and a promise he would never be alone. It did make it easier, or at least it gave him an understanding of where he truly came from; a family friend who offered to help a loving couple to conceive only to tragically pass away shortly before Max was born.

In an attempt to work on Max's confidence, his parents signed him up for drama lessons where, amazingly, Max actually began to find a place where he could break out of his shell. Being able to leave himself behind and fully become another person, not just imagine it while reading, was incredibly appealing to Max. Though he still had difficulty over communicating with other children during school, after school he began to blossom. In the middle of year 5, after it became clear that the bullying had not stopped, the Di Novi family made plans for a fresh start; two new jobs and a new school in the seaside town of Brighton. They were able to time the move so Max would be able to finish his primary school education and move on to join year 7 with his peers at the school where his mother, Lilly, would be teaching. Rosa secured a job as a producer for a local breakfast radio show based on her previous experiences as a dj, and the family made their move during the summer, right in time for the lively rush of tourists to the beach, and the excitement of local shows, both music oriented and theatrical, in the air.

The change of scenery made an immediate impression and Max felt much more at home in his new environment. While some of his peers had no time for the new kid in school, Max was able to make friends. Real friends. He signed up for drama club and later found himself actively auditioning for school plays and musicals, much to the delight of his mothers who came to every single one with a camera and tissues. After encouragement from his drama teacher, Max auditioned for a role in the locally filmed tv show Sugar Rush. While he didn't get it, he did get the bug, and the idea of becoming an actor suddenly didn't seem like such a scary idea. Unfortunately his exam results were average at best and he ended up pursuing drama at a college closer to home, focusing on local theater productions over a return to London. When he did make the trek back to the city he was born in, it was to audition with many other young teenagers for a part in the popular show Skins. After countless auditions with groups, in pairs, then finally solo, Max was ready to give up when he found out he'd won the part of Freddie. It was a life changing moment.

From then on he could only see a life of acting for himself. At least until he'd been all the characters he could be, and used up everything he had. His future became filled with projects of varying success, some he was more proud of than others. Every time he stepped in front of camera or on a stage his life was changed all over again, constantly evolving with each new character he inhabited. Now living in Los Angeles and acting in Hollywood productions, Max is a far cry from the shy little English boy who wanted to hide away in his books. Life is still full of complications, especially as an actor with his background, but he knows how incredibly lucky he is to have gotten this far, and how hard he wants to work to keep going.