Actress Lara McDonnell says working with actor Josh Gad is a fun ride, adding that they were "trying so hard not to crack up the whole time" while shooting for the film "Artemis Fowl".

"The first scene I did with Josh wasn't actually a proper scene, it was just improvised together to see what we would look like together, and this was ages before we began filming and it was the most funny thing I've ever done in my life," McDonnell said while recalling her experience of shooting with Gad.

"We were trying so hard not to crack up the whole time. He just knows the character so well. But Mulch (Gad's character) is always silly and he's funny and that's why I think he's a lot of people's favourite character, because he's always there to bring the fun, and he's kind of like insane and crazy, but really funny. Josh is just great," she added.

"Artemis Fowl" brings alive the world of the book by Eoin Colfer, taking the audience on a fantastical adventure into the magical world of fairies, dwarves, and centaurs. It narrates the story of a 12-year-old genius, Artemis Fowl, a descendant of a long line of criminal masterminds, as he goes on a mission to save his father who has been kidnapped.

In the movie, Gad will be seen as the giant dwarf Mulch Diggums and McDonnell essays the character of Holly Short, an 84-year-old fairy.

Directed by Kenneth Branagh, "Artemis Fowl" also features Ferdia Shaw, Tamara Smart, Nonso Anozie, Josh McGuire, Nikesh Patel and Adrian Scarborough, with Colin Farrell and Judi Dench.

Amid the Covid-19 crisis, "Artemis Fowl", which was scheduled to open in theatres, will now get a digital premiere on Disney+ Hotstar.