Actor Luke Evans details his encounter with a huntsman spider

Luke Evans has described what happened when he came across a spider “the size of his face” while filming in Australia.

Beauty and the Beast actor Luke Evans has been sharing details of his time spent in Australia filming a TV series.

The 42-year-old, who stayed in Byron Bay, revealed he “struggled to sleep” with the amount of creepy-crawlies and the moment he came across an enormous huntsman spider.

Speaking on British comedian Alan Carr’s podcast Life’s a Beach, the Welsh actor said: “At night for the first three weeks I couldn’t sleep there’d be every animal, every noise, scratching everything.

“I did see a huntsman one day, the size of my face, and as you walk towards it, they sort of bend back ready to pounce on you, so you know to walk away, and they go so fast.”

The actor added that his cleaner thought he was overreacting telling him, “It’s just a spider!”

Evans told the cleaner, “I’ve read about these things they attack you and they run faster than you can walk.” He went on to explain that the cleaner, “went and pulled it by the leg”.

“It landed on the floor and ran straight back into my room. I had to move rooms.”

Luke Evans lived in Byron Bay while filming with Nicole Kidman. Picture: Instagram/LukeEvans

RELATED: Star studded TV show is coming to Amazon Prime

(Despite, their large size and hairy appearance, huntsman spiders are not considered to be dangerous.)

Evans spent four and a half months in Byron Bay filming the Hulu series Nine Perfect Strangers with Nicole Kidman in which he is set to play divorce lawyer Lars.

Back in March he told Kyle and Jackie O he loved his time here and “would move to Australia tomorrow”.

He even told the pair he “shed a tear” on the plane home.

The actor explained that after Nine Perfect Strangers wrapped filming he moved to Darlinghurst in Sydney for a month and then to Bondi where he got a tattoo.

Luke Evans had an encounter with a huntsman spider during his time in Australia. Picture: Instagram/LukeEvans

RELATED: Nicole Kidman’s new role sparks fan fury

When asked about his private life during his time here, the star didn’t give much away noting, “Sydney is a very beautiful place and the people match it, they’re a very beautiful, sexy bunch.”

Evans has previously spoken about how “nice” it was playing a gay character in Nine Perfect Strangers. “It was a lovely character to delve into and to calibrate and deliver this complex person. But, yes, it was nice to play a gay character after all these years of doing roles on stage and screen.”

Luke Evans didn’t give much away when asked about his love life while in Australia. Picture: Instagram/LukeEvans

Earlier this year, Evans confirmed his split with from his art director boyfriend Rafael Olarra, telling The Times Saturday Review: “It is what it is.” He also told the publication about his hope of one day becoming a dad, “I thought about it many times and as I get older I’m thinking maybe I should get on and do it. I don’t want to be an old dad … but I would like to be a dad.”