Pressure director stunned by Damian Lewis's photographic memory

Pressure director Anthony Maras was stunned by Damian Lewis's "photographic, weird memory" while filming one scene.

In the upcoming World War II movie, the Homeland actor plays British Army General Sir Bernard Montgomery, alongside Brendan Fraser as U.S. Army General Dwight D. Eisenhower and Andrew Scott as meteorologist James Stagg.

During an interview with People, Maras revealed that Lewis's photographic memory came in handy for a scene in which he has to speak for two minutes in front of a projector explaining the preparations for D-Day.

Maras had planned to fudge the scene using computer technology to sync up Lewis's narration with the video playing behind him - but he didn't have to.

"He didn't have time to prepare, so initially, I was going to do it on a computer in such a way as to time it to how he spoke," he explained. "He said, 'Forget all that, let me see the video.'"

Despite being warned he would need to memorise the exact timing of two minutes' worth of dialogue, the Band of Brothers star, 55, was completely confident after watching the video just twice over.

"He said, 'Let me have a look at it.' He looks (and says), 'Show me it one more time.' He goes, 'All right, I'm ready,'" the director recalled. "I'm like, 'Come on, mate.' He goes, 'I'm ready'!"

Maras was then stunned to watch Lewis deliver the dialogue in perfect alignment with the video playing behind him.

"I don't know what kind of photographic, weird memory he has, but he synced his speech to the frame, to the second, of what was playing behind him that he'd only seen twice," he praised. "He's got some kind of special talent for that, or eyes in the back of his head maybe, I don't know."

Pressure, which depicts the tense 72 hours before D-Day, will be released in U.K. cinemas on 9 September.