Benedict Cumberbatch and Kirsten Dunst refused to speak to each other on set of The Power of the Dog

‘I didn’t want to be really mean to Kirsten, but I needed to stay in character,’ said the ‘Sherlock’ star

Benedict Cumberbatch has claimed that he and Kirsten Dunst refused to speak to each other on the set of The Power of the Dog.

In Jane Campion’s acclaimed dramatic film, which arrives on Netflix soon, Cumberbatch plays Phil, a cowboy who works on a ranch with his brother George (Jesse Plemons) in the 1920s.

Dunst plays Plemons’ new wife, Rose, to whom Cumberbatch’s character takes an immediate dislike.

Speaking to NME about the role, Cumberbatch revealed that this on-screen animosity meant he was “repelled” by his co-star between takes.

“I didn’t want to be really mean to Kirsten, but I needed to stay in character,” he said. “So I didn’t speak to her on-set. She was the same.

“We were the negative to each other’s positive. [We were] repelled by each other.”

Cumberbatch has spoken previously about his method acting for The Power of the Dog, revealing that he never broke character on set, and refused to answer if someone called him by his real name.

The actor also gave himself nicotine poisoning three times by smoking a large number of filterless cigarettes, and refused to wash during the making of the film.

The Power of the Dog is in cinemas now, and will arrive on Netflix on 1 December.