Mem Ferda says his 'Miss You Already' co-star Toni Collette was "so welcoming" on set.
Mem Ferda at 'Breakdown' premiere in London
Ferda - whose previous work has mostly included playing violent thugs in movies such as 'ill Manors', 'The Crew', 'Devil's Double' and 'Pusher' - admits appearing in the comedy-drama was a departure so he appreciated the kindness of his Australian co-star and her fellow lead, Drew Barrymore.
Speaking exclusively to BANG Showbiz, Ferda - who plays the women's chauffeur Ahmed throughout the film, which follows a woman with cancer and her best friend - said: "Normally I'm the one doing the punishing. I've built my career doing that, but I played a softer character with Drew Barrymore in 'Miss You Already', which was quite a nice endearing thing. It was a change for me. She's incredible.
"But more so Toni Colette. I found her honestly so welcoming. She's a great actress who has done brilliant comedy."
But the actor returned to his familiar genre for British independent film 'Breakdown' - which premiered in London's Covent Garden Odeon cinema on Tuesday (11.01.16) - and revealed it includes some "gruesome" scenes.
He said: "I play the role of Hakan who is a drug lord - not a very nice character... This is like your British gangster flick but I feel that it has more potential than your normal crime film.
"I'll give you one spoiler. Taxidermy. So you know, there is some gruesome scenes in there. It is kind of out of the box, it doesn't stay within the same frame as other gangster flicks.
"It's not as predictable and has a lot more layers to the characters."