Who says actors don't suffer for their art?
'Sherlock' and 'Doctor Strange' star Benedict Cumberbatch is in contention for another Oscar nomination for his performance in Jane Campion's new film 'The Power Of The Dog', but the nomination won't have come easy for the English actor.
Discussing the upcoming film with Esquire, Cumberbatch said that in order to play the role of a Montana ranch owner, he had to take up smoking - and it resulted in giving himself nicotine poisoning three times.
"Smoking was really hard, filterless rollies, just take after take after take," the actor said.
"I gave myself nicotine poisoning three times. When you have to smoke a lot, it genuinely is horrible."
The actor stated that he wanted a "layer of stink" on him to fully embody the character on set, saying: "I wanted people in the room to know what I smelt like."
"It was hard, though. It wasn’t just in rehearsals. I was going out to eat and meet friends of Jane Campion and stuff."
Cumberbatch is no stranger to method acting for his performances on top of learning to play the banjo and not showering for 6 days on the set of 'The Power Of The Dog', he lost over 20 pounds for 'The Courier' and said that getting in the headspace to film 'Sherlock' resulted in him "becoming much curter with my mother."
'The Power Of The Dog' is the new film by Oscar-winning director Jane Campion, best known for 'The Piano' and the TV series 'Top Of The Lake'.
Cumerbatch stars as rancher Phil Burbank, along with 'Breaking Bad' and 'I'm Thinking of Ending Things' star Jesse Plemons as his brother as well as 'Spider-Man' and 'Melancholia' star Kirsten Dunst.
The 1920s-set film has received strong critical acclaim, with Campion winning the Silver Lion at the Venice Film Festival, adding to the New Zealand director's bustling trophy cabinet.
'The Power' of the Dog' is in select Irish cinemas from November 19th and on Netflix from December 1st.
