Benedict Cumberbatch says it was 'brilliant' to watch Meryl Streep and see the processes that she goes through on set.
Cumberbatch stars alongside the Oscar winner in August: Osage County - a film that is already being tipped as a possible Oscar contender.
And Cumberbatch watched Streep while she was on set to watch her performance and how she brings her characters to life.
Speaking to Flicks and Bits the actor said: "Meryl’s imagination never dries up, even at the end of a 10-hour day she turns in a discovery. She may have a complete U-turn on a thought process or a look or a delivery.
"It’s so brilliant to watch, and she’s so free... I think that’s her secret really. She gets to a state through her work and research whereby she’s free. As a relative notice, I had to ask her, 'What’s the chicken and egg, horse and cart thing here?'
"Because I wanted to know her what her process is. She would say, 'I don’t know. It changes, does it change for you?' And I went, 'Yeah.' And that was a real relief, because it does (laughs)."
August: Osage County is a big screen adaptation of the play by Tracy Letts; which has been directed by John Wells.
Cumberbatch will be back on the big screen in December with The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug - a film that will see him bring to life dragon Smaug.
He has also completed work on 12 Years A Slave, The Imitation Game and is currently working on Magik.
August: Osage County is released 17th January 2014.
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