Mark Rylance has admitted he often struggles with language and makes up “gobblefunk” words – just like his character, the BFG.

Rylance said he has a lot in common with the 24-foot-tall word-mangling Big Friendly Giant, whose linguistic inventions include “human beans”, “whizzpopper” and “squiff-squiddled”.

Director Steven Spielberg posing at the British premiere of his latest film, a remake of Roald Dahl’s 1982 novel, The BFG. Photo: Ian West/PA Wire

Speaking at the film’s premiere in London, the 56-year-old actor said: “I’m often confused and I’ve had a lot of difficulty with language in my life.”

Steven Spielberg’s version of Roald Dahl’s 1982 novel sees Rylance as the kind-hearted BFG, who kidnaps young Sophie (Ruby Barnhill) from an orphanage and takes her back to his home in Giant Country. Unfortunately, Giant Country is home to much bigger and nastier creatures.

Sophie and the BFG team up on an unlikely adventure which even takes them to Buckingham Palace, where they meet the Queen (Penelope Wilton) and try to enlist her help against the “cannybully” and “murderful” giants.

Rylance said Spielberg had been worried that too many “gobblefunk” words could confuse American audiences. He said: “Melissa [Mathison], who wrote it, and I were always bringing more gobblefunk words to the set. Steven and the producers were a little nervous about whether Americans would understand. But I’d say: ‘Once you hear me say it in a sentence, you’ll understand the word, even though it doesn’t have any logical sense.’”

Barnhill, 12, said: “Mark Rylance and the BFG are both such gentle and lovely people, and that’s the main similarity I see whenever I watch the film.”

The two stars were joined on the red carpet by Spielberg and actors Wilton, Rebecca Hall and Rafe Spall, as well as famous faces including Sir Ben Kingsley and judge Mary Berry.

Dahl’s daughter Lucy said her father would have been “delighted” with the adaptation of his children’s book, which she has seen three times already.

She said: “The first time I saw it I cried and cried and cried. I felt like I had spent two hours with my father. He would be delighted. Steven has done such a remarkable job, so has Mark, so has Ruby... everybody has really put their heart and their soul.”