Benicio del Toro: The French Dispatch was like theatre

Benicio del Toro has compared working under Wes Anderson in 'The French Dispatch' to performing in a theatre.

The 54-year-old actor features in an all-star ensemble for the new movie as Moses Rosenthaler and he explained how Anderson was "very meticulous" in his approach to directing.

Benicio told the Metro newspaper: "He's very meticulous about his directing, very specific about what he wants.

"I really enjoyed it. I was surprised. It was very much like doing theatre in a way. He's a stickler for the truth, which is really refreshing."

The movie is set in a fictional French city during the 20th century and Benicio relished the nostalgic feel of the project.

The 'Traffic' star joked: "I grew up looking back! I'm still catching up with the Humphrey Bogart movies. And it's the beauty of being alive in this era and having options."

Benicio also reflected on his performance in 'Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas', which saw him pile on the pounds to portray Dr. Gonzo, and was baffled by some of the poor reviews for the Terry Gilliam film – which has since gained cult classic status.

Asking how he copes with bad reviews, the Oscar-winning star explained: "You can take a movie like 1998's 'Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas'. My experience with that was crazy.

"The reviews came out and destroyed the film, and the film came out and very few people saw it. But it's been a success as years have gone by."

Benicio continued: "And that was a lot of effort from my part, from all of us. I gained a lot of weight, I did it all on my own, I didn't do it with trainers. And I did it in just eight weeks.

"It was just like 'Whoa!' And there were some reviews that didn't even mention me! You didn't see me in the film? I took up half the screen."