Benedict Cumberbatch says he saved a family from a herd of cattle using his 'Power of the Dog' ranching skills

• Benedict Cumberbatch said he picked up ranch handling skills during the "Power of The Dog" shoot.
• On a beach trip after the film, Cumberbatch said used his new cow herding know-how to help a cornered family.

Benedict Cumberbatch said he's used the ranch handling skills he learned during the production of "The Power of The Dog" to save a family from a roaming herd of cattle.

Cumberbatch — who stars as Phil Burbank, a skilful ranch handler in "The Power of The Dog" — told the audience during an appearance on a forthcoming episode of the BBC's "Graham Norton Show" that he was on a trip at a beach in the UK after he finished shooting "Power of The Dog" in New Zealand when he found himself utilizing some of the ranching skills.

"I came back from shooting the film in August and we were off to the beach. To get there we had to cross a field and in the field was a petrified family who just couldn't move, they were frozen because of a herd of cows with calves," Cumberbatch said in a preview of the interview shared with Insider.

"I thought, 'I can do this,' and I just sort of parted the waves of cattle. The family was like, 'That was incredible. Hey, aren't you Sherlock?' It was very un-Sherlock activity!"

Cumberbatch has spoken extensively about his unique experience shooting "The Power of The Dog," instructed by director Jane Campion, who encouraged him to use method acting (where an actor lives as their character) for the role.

"Jane encouraged me to stay in character. She was very secure about all the things I was insecure about and said, 'Do whatever you have to do to feel ownership of this very different lived experience,'" Cumberbatch later told Graham Norton.

"So, I went off to Montana for two months to find out what it is like to live on a ranch and to experience all those things you see in the film. It was incredible and so far from anything I have ever done."

During an interview with The Hollywood Reporter earlier this year, Cumberbatch said he was only known as Phil Burbank, his character's name, on the film's set.

"[Jane Campion] introduced me to the crew as Phil and said, 'You'll meet Benedict at the end. Benedict's really nice. Phil is Phil,'" Cumberbatch told the outlet.

Cumberbatch later told the outlet that he did jump out of character with his family in the evenings after filming. However, the 45-year-old actor said that he also spent periods of up to six days without washing, just as his character does in the film. He also exclusively listened to the music of Radiohead's Jonny Greenwood on his way to set (Greenwood wrote the film's score).

Cumberbatch picked up his second Oscar nomination earlier this month for his performance in the film. The film picked up a total of 12 nominations, including best director and adapted screenplay for Kiwi filmmaker Jane Campion.

"The Power of The Dog" is Campion's first film in over a decade.