The latest role for the Charlie and the Chocolate Factory star sees him playing a boy turned elf who falls for a princess, voiced by Madge herself. He is joined in Arthur and the Invisibles by David Bowie and Jason Bateman.

"It’s kind of funny thinking about it like that," Highmore says. "But I didn’t meet Madonna or David Bowie."

The film was shot in director Luc Besson’s sprawling Normandy studio complex.

"We were staying in cottages built for Joan of Arc, and you have this massive sound studio where we recorded the voices, and there was a huge cinema," Highmore says.

The cinema, modelled on a Paris landmark, features statues of Besson’s kids rather than saints.

"He’s like a big teddy bear. He’s got so much drive and energy," Highmore says.

Highmore, son of a casting agent and an actor, has become the child actor of choice, who can act and not just be cute. He anchored a pivotal scene in Finding Neverland, earning the respect of Johnny Depp, who wanted him for Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.