Adrien Brody arriving at the photocall for 'Hollywoodland'. Venice Film Festival 2006, Venice, Italy - 31.08.06

THE PIANO star has worked alongside many of Hollywood's biggest names, but he has never been so impressed as he was watching MONA LISA star Hoskins at work.

Brody explains, "I sat there talking to him on the first day. I had just met Bob, and we were talking.

"I thought I was hot s**t. I'd been working on it, got my thing down, been working a few weeks or whatever. Then the director ALLEN COULTER called action and Bob transformed in front of my eyes. It scared the s**t out of me.

"I love it when I'm working with someone that inspires me, and is really great, but there was this immediate transformation from his breathing to his accent.

"I grew up in New York and he sounded like somebody from New Jersey. He was intimidating and all that. It was fascinating, he just turned it right on.

"Then, when the scene was over, he turned it right off and said, 'Alright, love, see you later. Give me a crumpet.'"