What was it like working with Carey Mulligan?

“She was very easy to work with because she was brave, throwing herself into the mix. When you’re working with Steve it can be quite a frightening experience but also very exciting and educational because there are no safety rails and nowhere to hide.

“He’s got a great bullshit detector, so he just wants you to try and surprise each other and look after each other. You need somebody who’s got the chops to pull you up, bounce off you, test you, challenge you… and she’s got that, that’s for sure.”

This is very raw performance for you. You’re naked, both physically and emotionally. Was that hard? Can you watch yourself doing those things?

“I knew that when we were going there that it was pretty much keeping it as close to me as possible, and trying to be as honest as possible. I didn’t want to distance [my character] Brandon from me and use that as a cop out.

“I wanted to have him as an everyday guy that you’d meet and know on the street. The thing is… the nudity was awkward. I’ve only seen it once in Venice and I’ve been reluctant to watch it since. Watching it brought it home. I knew everything I did but seeing it pieced together in front of me…”

It’s not one to watch with your mum, is it?

“No! [Laughs] And she was going to be in Venice at one point. My dad was going to see it but luckily that didn’t pan out.

“But y’know, I trust Steve implicitly and I knew it was an important story to tell, so that gets rid of all the worries that you have about the nudity.

“You just need to serve the story as best as possible and really commit, because there’s nothing worse than if you’re going into it with trepidation or doubt.”