Dustin Hoffman was reduced to tears on the set of his directorial debut Quartet when he heard his leading actors singing opera.
The Rain Man star recruited Brits including Harry Potter actor Michael Gambon, Maggie Smith, Scottish comedian Billy Connolly and Tom Courtenay for the film, based on Ronald Harwood's play about four ageing opera stars who are living in a retirement home.
Hoffman originally wanted the four lead actors to mime the quartet from Giuseppe Verdi's Rigoletto, but after hearing them sing the track themselves, he broke down in tears.
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Connolly, who started out in showbiz as a folk singer, tells The Daily Record: "It was the best we'd ever done it and Dustin started to cry."
(WENN)