Exclusive: Aimee Lou Wood praised as "one of the best actors of any generation"

Aimee Lou Wood has been called "one of the best actors of any generation" by her The Idiot(s) co-star. Directed by Małgorzata Szumowska and Michał Englert, the drama stars Wood and Johnny Flynn as Anna and Fydor Dostoyevsky, who wrote the famous book Crime and Punishment.

Based on the book The Gambler Wife: A True Story of Love, Risk and the Woman Who Saved Dostoyevsky by Andrew D. Kaufman, The Idiot(s) shows the Dostoyevskys' troublesome marriage as Fydor plans his next novel titled The Idiot, though his gambling addiction stops him from completing it.

Desperate to protect their family from destitute, Anna secretly begins drafting the book herself, all while managing her husband's self-destructive behaviour.

Related: Best streaming services

Alongside Wood and Flynn, the film also stars Vicky Krieps (Hanna), Christian Friedel (The White Lotus), Barbara Marten (EastEnders, The Bill) and Rainer Bock (Better Call Saul).

Speaking to Digital Spy at the UK premiere of The Idiot(s), Flynn described what it was like to work with Wood and Krieps, as he said: "Working with Aimee and with Vicky [Krieps] who are two of the best actors in, not even my generation maybe, but of any generation, so it was fantastic."

Wood revealed that she knew they were going to be "best friends" on day one after Flynn shared her excitement about doing a tarot reading.

"On the first day when we did a tarot reading and he was so excited to do a tarot reading, I knew that we were going to be best friends," she said. "It was pretty much instant to be honest and I'd heard so many amazing things about Johnny through other people, and people had said over the years 'You and Johnny Flynn would get on so well'.

"He'd had the same thing so then when we met, it felt like we already knew each other. He's the best human. He's so kind. He's so funny. His ego is so small. So it's so freeing to be around him. And he makes the world feel really exciting."

Related: BBC's hit series announces new cast for returning season - with Line of Duty and Death Valley stars

Flynn added: "From day one, really, we became really close friends. There was a sense of trust and openness that was very refreshing. We had to have each other's backs, basically.

"There was a lot demanded of us in this script, and we just made each other laugh a lot. A lot of it was improvised, a lot of the scenes were on the hoof, so you needed that sense of playfulness, and there was a lot of laughter."

The Idiot(s) made its festival debut at the 53rd Telluride Film Festival on 5 September, and while an official cinema release date has yet to be announced, the BFI has had three screenings across the UK on 14, 16 and 18 October, with the latter two being sold out.

Visit our Streaming Guide now to see at a glance where you can view ALL your favourite shows and movies.

The new edition of Legends, a 100-page celebration of Dolly Parton's life, is here. Buy Dolly in newsagents or online.