Leonardo DiCaprio has admitted that his latest role in Martin Scorsese's Shutter Island was his most challenging yet.
He teams up with the Oscar winning filmmaker for a fourth time in a big screen adaptation of Dennis Lehane's novel.
Set in 1954 DiCaprio takes on the role of U.S. Marshal Teddy Daniels who is investigating the disappearance of a murderess who escaped from a hospital for the criminally insane and is presumed to be hiding on the remote Shutter Island.
The actor told a promotional press conference in London that it was a necessity for him to switch off when he left the set at the end of the day.
"By sheer necessity to survive the film-making process I do switch off when I go home because if I don't, especially in roles as demanding as this... Look, ultimately I'm challenged by these types of characters.
"This is the most challenging one to date for me. Physically yes but emotionally more so."
"(We) kept pushing Teddy to darker and darker places throughout the course of the film."
Shutter Island is the first movie for the actor since he re-united with Kate Winslet for Revolutionary Road.
He has Inception also on the way into cinemas this year with The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt, which would see him work again with Scorsese, also in the pipeline.
Shutter Island is released 12th March.
Tagged in Leonardo DiCaprio