Denzel Washington has confessed he has never watched The Magnificent Seven, despite starring in a remake of the classic 1960 Western.
The Oscar-winning actor, who is reprising the role made famous by Yul Brynner, spoke to reporters ahead of the world premiere of the movie at the Toronto International Film Festival.
Washington, 61, said: "I didn't keep away from it, I just didn't know how it would help me.
"I'd never seen it as a kid. People would say, 'oh, you're the so-and-so character', and I'd go, 'I don't even know who that is'.
"I think it allowed me to do whatever I wanted to do, instead of trying to not do what somebody else did."
Washington, who won a Best Actor Oscar for 2001 film Training Day, has reunited with co-star Ethan Hawke and director Antoine Fuqua for The Magnificent Seven. Jurassic World star Chris Pratt also stars in the film, playing the role made famous by Steve McQueen in the 1960 version.
Some of the world's biggest movie stars are flocking to Toronto where a host of films are bidding to generate Oscar buzz on the path to the Academy Awards.
Nearly 300 feature-length films are to be shown at this year's festival.
The 11-day event, which is in its 41st year, has showcased a string of films in recent years that have gone on to achieve glory at the Oscars.
The King's Speech, 12 Years A Slave and Slumdog Millionaire each won the festival's People's Choice Award before taking top honours at the Academy Awards.
Leonardo DiCaprio will attend the festival on Friday with his environmental documentary Before The Flood. Ewan McGregor will also appear at the premiere of his directoral debut American Pastoral.
Double Oscar-winning director Oliver Stone will present his latest film, Snowden, a biopic of NSA whistle-blower Edward Snowden, starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt.
The Magnificent Seven is released in UK cinemas on September 23.