Emma Thompson enjoyed channelling her inner-diva in 'Saving Mr. Banks'.

The 54-year-old actress portrays P.L. Travers, the cantankerous author of 'Mary Poppins', in Disney's new period drama about the creation of the classic movie based on her book, and Thompson admits it was rather freeing to play the forthright scribe.

She joked: ''I just let out my inner-prickly pear. I just, basically, was my true self. I just let it all hang out!

''I've got to tell you, it was such a relief to be rude without any repercussions whatsoever. Can you imagine it? 'I don't want to go to your f***ing press conference' or 'I don't want to go to your birthday party because I got bored of you years ago.' You could just come out with these things, and she did! She said what she meant.''

'Saving Mr. Banks' has earned the actress early critical acclaim and she appeared to enjoy the success while walking the red carpet at the film's world premiere - which served as the closing ceremony of the 57th BFI London Film Festival - in London's Leicester Square on Sunday evening (20.10.13).

Thompson's co-star Tom Hanks, meanwhile, says it was daunting to play the famous Walt Disney, who tried to convince P.L. Travers to sell the rights to 'Mary Poppins' for the classic 1964 film adaptation.

Speaking to BANG Showbiz, he said: ''There was a responsibility. Without a doubt, it was a substantial gauntlet to throw down. Walt Disney was as ubiquitous in our lives as Uncle Sam, Smokey the Bear, the President of the United States and Mickey Mouse himself. I felt it was going to be quite a distance to go.''

'Saving Mr. Banks' co-stars Colin Farrell and Ruth Wilson, both of whom were in attendance at the world premiere and the film's press conference.