Actress Juliette Lewis wept with joy after bumping into her hero, singer/songwriter Bob Dylan, in a New York elevator.

The NATURAL BORN KILLERS star did her best to remain calm despite being flooded with emotion.

She says, "I walked into this teensy weensy elevator and there he was. My heart literally jumped into my mouth, but I pretended to be cool. He said 'You're an actress aren't you?' and we made small talk and then I got out of the lift and got into my car and burst into tears."

Lewis, 32, explains that Dylan helped her through tough times during her younger years: "He held such meaning for me. During the hardest time in my life when I was 22, he was on repeat for like a year and a half. God, the guy must get that all the time - people weeping on him."