Lesley Manville was inspired by Kevin Costner to do her own stunts in Let Him Go

Lesley Manville was inspired by her co-star Kevin Costner to do her own stunts in their new Western, Let Him Go.

The Oscar-nominated actress portrays tough matriarch Blanche Weboy alongside Costner and Diane Lane in the thriller, which was written and directed by Thomas Bezucha.

Manville, who has had an illustrious stage and screen career, said she was keen to get involved in stunt work when she saw Costner “throwing himself around” on set.

“I thought, yeah, I’m going to get down and dirty as well! If he can do it, I’m going to do it, too, having done none of it ever,” she told The Associated Press. “I suddenly decided I was going to be the stunt girl. I was going to throw myself around. I was going to be handling that gun having never picked a gun up in my life."

The Phantom Thread star said Costner helped her with some difficult set pieces, and filmmaker Bezucha was so impressed that he didn't even need to use Manville's stunt double.

"I did have Kevin helping me. And I did it. And he said I did it really, really well and that he was actually quite scared," she laughed. “I got to flex muscles that I haven’t really flexed before. It was just thrilling.”

Let Him Go, based on the 2013 novel of the same name by author Larry Watson, has been given a limited release in cinemas in the U.S.