Alan Rickman didn't worry about people spotting him filming nude scenes in public for 'Gambit'.

The veteran actor stripped off for scenes in London landmark building The Gherkin - which has floor-to-ceiling windows - but never asked for the set to be closed to prevent passers-by from catching a glimpse of him naked.

Director Michael Hoffman said: ''I did think it would be very hard to have an open set in an all-glass [building by architect Norman Foster]. But he didn't ask for us to close it off - he was very brave.''

Alan, 66, joked about the experience, telling the Daily Star newspaper: ''Sometimes you can get costumes you can't bear wearing. So it was a relief not to have to say, 'I don't like this costume.'''

The film - a remake about an art curator who takes revenge on his boss by selling him a fake Monet painting - also stars Cameron Diaz and Colin Firth, and Michael added the latter had the film crew in stitches with his unintentionally hilarious behaviour on set.

He said: ''Colin is more unintentionally funny. Cameron you're always laughing along with. Sometimes with Colin you get to laugh at him.''

Speaking about a scene with a real-live lion, he added: ''The stuff that always made me laugh was the lion, who was at times more interested in the art on the wall than he was in Colin. That was a little embarrassing for Colin because he was supposed to be under threat from this lion and it was literally looking at these pictures behind him.''

'Gambit', with a screenplay by Joel and Ethan Cohen, is in cinemas now.