Weaving: Cloud Atlas an adventure

Hugo Weaving has described working on highly-anticipated sci-fi film Cloud Atlas as a "dangerous adventure".

The Lord Of The Rings actor and co-stars Tom Hanks, Halle Berry and Jim Broadbent play multiple roles in the film set in different locations and time periods, and told The Hollywood Reporter it was a very improvised production.

Hugo revealed: "Sometimes in any one week you might be working on three or four characters. So it's a slightly dangerous adventure we embarked on, because to be honest you don't know where it's all heading, despite the wonderful preparation. But yeah, it was certainly very exciting."

He added: "You're fulfilling a particular role, so the six characters I play have a similar thematic arc, similar role to play, and as the film progresses, you get a strong sense of playing one [character] rather than six separate ones.

"So initially you're feeling the separateness of the characters but increasingly feeling like they're facets of the same being."

The film is co-directed by siblings Andy and Lana Wachowski. Lana, formerly known as Larry reportedly completed gender reassignment surgery in 2009 and this is the first film where she is credited as Lana.

Hugo said the film adaptation of David Mitchell's novel explores "the idea of being reborn and souls being reborn through time."

He added: "What's fascinating about the adaptation of the book was that sense that you get in the book about souls being reborn, a particular soul, and then they thought, 'What if we bring back actors to multiple roles in these stories?' So to take that idea and run with it actually kind of became one of the key propellers for the project."