Steve Coogan explains what it was like working with a penguin in The Penguin Lessons

And according to the Alan Partridge star, the experience was one that he found surprisingly peaceful, even if acting with such an unpredictable star took a little bit of getting used to.

"You learn to be patient," he explained during an exclusive interview with RadioTimes.com.

"Because you can't blame a penguin if it goes this way and you want it to go that way. So you learn to just wait, and you have to be meditative if you're not going to become frustrated."

He added: "But what I found happened was that eventually you'd get what you needed. So you'd have to be pragmatic, but one thing I noticed was, because of the penguins, we had to be quiet on sets to not distress the penguin – that had a kind of calming effect on the whole crew.

"So in actual fact, it was a quite sort of serene place to be compared with some of the sets I've been on!"

Coogan is also joined in the film by another legendary actor – Sir Jonathan Pryce. And the Slow Horses star revealed that he was also initially hesitant about sharing scenes with Juan Salvador.

"Well, I'm not a great animal person, so it was written into my contract that I wouldn't have to touch the penguin or pick it up or be in any way in contact with it," he said, before clarifying that he wasn't being deadly serious.

But he continued: "I've one serious scene with the penguin where I'm confessing, and it's supposed to be kind of my therapeutic scene.

"And every time I started to speak, the penguin would just walk away and leave the room. And I learned a lot about myself.... that I wasn't quite as charismatic as I thought I was!"

Read more:

• Rami Malek wanted The Amateur to be an 'evolution' of Mr Robot role
• Ralph Fiennes and Juliette Binoche explain what sets their version of The Odyssey apart

The film – which is based on the memoir of the same name by Tom Michell – is directed by The Full Monty filmmaker Peter Cattaneo, and he admitted that the challenge of directing a penguin was a "fascinating" one.

"I was really enthusiastic about the challenge," he said, explaining that the producers of the film had initially suggested the idea of using a CGI animal instead of a real one.

"And I instinctively said, 'No,'" he revealed. "I think, first of all, even the best CG animal, especially when they're in a real world, the rest of the frame is real world, never quite seem completely convincing. And I just like the organic nature of the unpredictability of doing it in camera."

He continued: "Sometimes you would get these moments of spontaneity, which really were... I was glad, because I thought I was right.

"You get these moments where Steve, being someone who's grown up in stand-up comedy, could just react, stay in character, and the penguin might do something unexpected, but he just stays with it.

"And you get stuff which I think, when you see the movie, has this tone which just feels very alive. And I think that came from having the real penguins!"

This drama sees Coogan playing a British teacher living in Argentina during a time of major political unrest in 1976.

Initially rather cynical, he finds his life unexpectedly changing after he somewhat inadvertently adopts a penguin – who soon provides a path for overcoming his cynicism.

The Penguin Lessons is released in UK cinemas on Friday 18th April.

If you're looking for something to watch tonight, check out our TV Guide and Streaming Guide or visit our Film hub for all the latest news. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.