Benedict Cumberbatch gave himself nicotine poisoning three times on The Power of the Dog

The actor learned to roll cigarettes one-handed and didn't wash as part of his method for playing a 1920s Montana rancher

Benedict Cumberbatch said he gave [himself] nicotine poisoning three times" by smoking cigarettes as part of his performance in his new film The Power of the Dog.

Speaking to Esquire magazine, Cumberbatch said that his role as Phil Burbank in the adaptation of Thomas Savage's western novel required consumption of copious amounts of rolled-up cigarettes. Filterless rollies, just take after take after take ... When you have to smoke a lot, it genuinely is horrible." Cumberbatch also said he had to learn how to roll them with one hand, as specified in the original novel.

The Power of the Dog is released in the UK on 19 November.