Edgar Ramirez has revealed how starring in horror film Deliver Us From Evil helped him deal with his own fears.

The Venezuelan actor, who plays Spanish priest Mendoza in Scott Derrickson’s thriller, admitted he got scared of paranormal activities after watching The Exorcist.

Edgar Ramirez
(Evan Agostini/Invision/AP)

“I remember that was the first horror movie that I saw. I saw three or four scenes, and I was traumatised for three years,” he said.

“It was very difficult for me to sleep and I didn’t watch the whole thing, that’s how strong my reaction was. Then 35 years later, they offered me this movie, so that was a way to end my childhood fears, by being the exorcist.”

Edgar, who stars opposite Eric Bana and Olivia Munn in the film, said there was some unusual happenings on set.

“(It was) probably just hypersensitivity. I was in a bar and I went to the bathroom, and I saw that the paper machine, the ones that give you toilet paper if you put your hand on it, was broken. And then suddenly it went on, it just turned on and gave me paper (even though) I was very far away from it,” he recalled.

“A couple of hours later, I am back in the bathroom, I am alone, and I heard that the machine was broken and actually somebody from production had put some extra paper on the side for us. Then (the paper towel dispenser) went out again.”

The 37-year-old actor added: “Other than that, one of my crosses broke from the first exorcism. A metal cross. I put it in my pocket, and when I pulled it out, it was broken. But I wasn’t scared any more.”

:: Deliver Us From Evil is out on DVD and Blu-ray on January 5.