Benedict Cumberbatch went full method acting on Power of the Dog – and "pissed" off Jesse Plemons

Benedict Cumberbatch and Jesse Plemons in The Power of the Dog — (Image credit: Netflix)

Jesse Plemons has revealed that Benedict Cumberbatch's method acting on the set of The Power of the Dog nearly crossed a line, with one particular moment "pissing" him off.

"There was one time he got under my skin," Plemons told Variety. "He was like, 'Hey, big boy.' It wasn’t 'fatso.' I feel like a few people in life have been like, 'Hey, big boy,' and I was like, 'Goddamn it. What the fuck.'"

Based on the novel of the same name by Thomas Savage, award-winning director Jane Campion's latest movie is set on a Montana cattle ranch in the '20s where a widow (Kirsten Dunst) and her son (Kodi Smit-McPhee) come to live with her new husband, George (Plemons). However, things are complicated by the antagonistic presence of George's brother Phil (Cumberbatch).

There are no hard feelings between the actors, though. Later the same day, Cumberbatch apologized when Plemons told him the remark "pissed me off."

"He was like, 'I’m so sorry,'" Plemons added, imitating Cumberbatch's English accent, laughing. "I was like, 'No, don’t worry. It was great.'"

The movie recently won Best Motion Picture – Drama at this year's Golden Globes, while Campion won Best Director and Smit-McPhee won Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture. Along with Steven Spielberg's West Side Story, the movie picked up the most gongs at the awards ceremony, suggesting it's likely to be one of the Oscar frontrunners later this year.

The Power of the Dog is available to stream on Netflix now. For more viewing inspiration, fill out your watch list with our picks of the best movies of 2021.