German director Tom Tykwer first scented something special about British actor Ben Whishaw after seeing him play Hamlet on the stage of The Old Vic Theatre in London. He promptly snapped him up to take the lead role in the big screen adaptation of popular novel, Perfume: The Story Of A Serial Killer. Prior to that, Whishaw had been getting himself noticed with small but significant parts in The Trench, Enduring Love, Layer Cake and Stoned, as well as playing Pingu in TV sitcom Nathan Barley. As 18th Century serial killer Jean-Baptiste Grenouille, Whishaw is certain to build on a growing reputation. Here he talks about the experience of making the movie...

Had you read Patrick Suskind's novel before accepting the part in Perfume?

I knew of the book at that point but I hadn't actually read it. So my first encounter with the story was through the screenplay. But I think I'm grateful that it was that way round because I think it's a book that if people get into it, they really get into it and have a very strong personal connection with. I didn't have that, thankfully, which meant we could make the film rather than feeling too bound to some pre-conceived idea about what it should be.

How was playing the lead for the first time in such a big movie?

I actually found it quite overwhelming to begin with. I remember really feeling the pressure and all the "I can't believe this is happening to little me" emotions. But something eventually clicks inside you and you just get on with it. My way of dealing with it was to stay inside the character as much as possible and let everything else happen.

You researched the role by studying animals. Which ones in particular?

Well, it felt like a useful place to start because animals, much more than us, respond to smell in a very primal way. Just to see how it impacts on the way they move, interact with the world and look at it was a helpful way into the character. So we looked a lot at this animal called a loris [a form of primate], a very slow-moving but graceful creature. I started off looking at tigers and cats but I think Tom [Tykwer] was more interested in the stealth that this loris has. The killing, when it happens, is not really brutal; it's quite brief and quite elegantly executed."

Did the non-graphic approach to the violence [adopted by Tom Tykwer] help you in terms of how you pitched the performance, so that Grenouille didn't become too repellent to viewers?

Absolutely. Unlike some serial killers in the history of cinema, he's not a character who gets any pleasure from killing itself. There's no thrill. It's much more animal than that. It's instinctive. He needs to do it, he does it and he gets what he needs. There's no savouring of the actual act.

I really like the way the film is about murdering and yet you can forget that he's murdering at all. It sort of puts the audience in an interesting position in terms of their relationship - being slightly disgusted but also a little bit sympathetic. That kind of mixture of emotion is quite fascinating for an audience to feel.

How did you enjoy having Dustin Hoffman as a co-star?

We shot those scenes with Dustin in the first two weeks and I remember thinking: "This can't be a good decision; surely we should be doing some easing in or some warming up?" But it was absolutely perfect because Dustin takes such pleasure in what he does and there's nothing tense about him. He exudes joy and passion for what he's doing and that infects everyone. It certainly put me at ease coming to work with him every day. I felt his confidence and freedom rubbed off.

He also never does the same thing twice, which is totally stimulating because you're always getting something new from him. You never really know what he's going to do next, so you have to be on your toes.

The ending of the film is going to shock a lot of people if they haven't read the novel. What did you think when you first read the screenplay?

I remember thinking that it was just totally brilliant, totally unexpected and totally thrilling. I love it. For me, it's the highlight of the film. It takes you by surprise but it makes complete sense. It's extraordinary.

Perfume: The Story Of A Murderer opens in UK cinemas on Boxing Day (26 December 2006).