(Cover) - EN Showbiz - Kate Winslet says working with director Roman Polanski is "extraordinary".

The actress stars in the film adaptation of the play Carnage which is helmed by Polanski and described how the ageing movie legend's positive attitude affected the cast.

However, the 35-year-old said that the filmmaker is a tough taskmaster nonetheless.

"Roman is extraordinary. He's 77 years old and has a joyful, effervescent quality that's very infectious," she told Total Film.

"None of us knew what to expect, because Carnage is based on a play, but we ended up learning the whole thing, staging it and rehearsing it like a play and then filming from the beginning to the end in ruthless order. Roman said it was the first time he'd ever filmed that way, but it was necessary for this particular piece."

Winslet feels lucky to have worked with him and several other high-profile directors over the last year. While the famous filmmakers she were all incredibly different, they were also unique in their brilliance.

"Todd Haynes, Steve Soderbergh and Roman Polanski are all so unbelievably different, and I feel like I've seen this whole spectrum of creative brilliance in the past year," she said. (C) Cover Media