Hugh Jackman and Jake Gyllenhaal tried to fight each other before shooting 'Prisoners'

Hugh Jackman and Jake Gyllenhaal

The Hollywood stars - who play Keller Dover (Jackman) and Detective Loki (Gyllenhaal) in the thriller - see their characters go head-to-head when two young girls are kidnapped in broad daylight and to really understand their roles, the pair used to practice bickering with each other.

The story revolves around carpenter Keller who sees his daughter and his neighbours' offspring snatched from a quiet suburb over Thanksgiving.

Detective Loki quickly closes in on creepy Alex Jones (Paul Dano) but then releases him without charge as he fails to build a credible case up against him, which doesn't go down well with Keller, who is convinced Jones is guilty, and takes him prisoner in a bid to find the whereabouts of his child.

Speaking on UK TV show 'Lorraine' Gyllenhaal said: "Hugh and I, we tried to fight all the time, before, months and months."

Jackman quipped: "Even just in the hallway."

Gyllenhaal added: "We just kept trying to get it right."