British film actress Elizabeth Hurley, lover of Indian businessman Arun Nayar, has been described as an actress from hell by director of her new film.

According to a report in the News Of The World, Bafta-nominated director Duncan Roy has lifted the lid on how the star's off-screen tantrums and antics during shooting of The Method, including long 'sessions' in her trailer with Nayar, drove him wild with fury.

The film, made in Romania, is being acclaimed as Hurley's best so far but Roy says the anguish she put him through turned it into a nightmare for him.

"We made a good film because Elizabeth did act well in it but I want everyone to know what I think she's like as a person. She is horrible," says Roy, who made his name with the autobiographical indie film AKA.

"Liz wanted to control every aspect of the film. She seems to have the impression that she is a great actress. She totally believes that she's someone special.

"She's not.

"She also think she's really beautiful. Well, I have seen her without make-up and it's not a pretty sight."

According to Roy, 38-year-old Liz threw tantrum on set when he gently tried to tell her that her acting in one scene was a bit 'stiff'.

She also wrecked hours of hair and make-up before one take by spending time with lover Arun, whom she nicknamed 'Oompa Lumpa' after the pygmies in the book 'Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory'.

She also whined that the trailer (cost: 50,000 pounds) and house she had been given in Romania weren't luxurious enough. She wanted everyone on set to call her Elizabeth rather than Liz and then insisted on calling Roy 'Dunc'.

Both Liz Hurley and The Method's powerful producer Brad Wyman criticised the director's sensational claims.

Liz said in a statement through her PR agent Karin Smith: "Elizabeth is astonished that Duncan should be telling these lies about her. She liked Duncan and fought very hard to get him the job.  It is a mystery why he is being so unkind."

Wyman backed her saying he 'loved' Roy but his claims were wrong. He insisted that Liz had behaved impeccably on the film set and, if anything, was simply a victim of her own ultra-professionalism.

"This was my 30th movie, it was Liz's 20th and Duncan had done one; it takes time to turn those things around.

"Elizabeth was flawless. She worked so hard on her costuming, her clothing and her tailoring. She is great in the movie."

Wyman, who recently produced the Hollywood blockbuster Monster, said Roy's complaints about Liz were 'unfair'.

However, he accepted there had been 'friction' during shooting and put much of the success of the movie down to Roy's huge talent.

He also hinted that Duncan's revelations about Liz and Arun's private life were spot-on. "They were really smitten with each other."