Daniel Craig danced with Queer co-star Drew Starkey to help prepare for sex scenes

Daniel Craig danced with 'Queer' co-star Drew Starkey so the pair could forge a connection ahead of their sex scenes in the movie.

The 56-year-old star leads the cast of Luca Guadagnino's historical romance in which he and Starkey play lovers in 1950s Mexico City and revealed that the pair tried to make their intimate scenes "fun".

Speaking at a Venice Film Festival press conference, Daniel said: "Dancing with someone is a great icebreaker.

"We all know there's nothing intimate about filming a sex scene on a movie set – there's a room full of people watching you – so we just wanted to make it as touching, real and natural as we possibly could."

The former James Bond star added: "Drew is just a wonderful, fantastic, beautiful actor to work with, and we just kind of had a laugh. You know, we tried to make it fun."

Drew thanked choreographer Paul Lightfoot for helping him and Craig get their bearings when it came to the lovemaking scenes.

The 'Outer Banks' actor said: "We had months of this experimenting with each other. Then we had a couple of weeks of really just exploring.

"Luca also allows that space for that to happen. He invites it and welcomes it. It's such a singular experience as an actor. I've never had an experience like this."

Starkey also joked: "Dan is definitely not a dancer – but I think we learned and got better together."

Daniel also expressed his joy at getting to work with Guadagnino and says that 'Queer' is exactly the type of film he loves to make.

He said: "I kind of look at this movie and I think if I wasn't in the movie and I saw this movie, I'd want to be in it, if that makes sense.

"It is the kind of film I want to see, I want to make, I want to be out there. They're challenging, but hopefully incredibly accessible."