Ever wondered what "Sherlock" star Benedict Cumberbatch looks like in a body suit? A new behind-the-scenes video from "The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug" has been released showing the 38-year-old writhing around as the dragon Smaug.

Dressed in a motion capture suit fitted with sensors to catch his every move, the scene fans are able to witness is that of Smaug addressing an invisible Bilbo Baggins (Martin Freeman) in the mountain lair, reported Stuff.co.nz.

"Well, thief," says Cumberbatch in a menacing voice. "I smell you. I hear your breath. Where are you?"

Watch the video and see how the prolific actor is able to internalize the character and bring it to life. From his dialogue and facial expression to the smallest movement of his body, Cumberbatch was born to play this fantasy role.

"You kind of have to ... imagine yourself into a vast creature in a huge space when you're really crawling about on a gray bit of carpet," quoted Stuff of the "Star Trek" actor who spoke about the experience of shooting.

Director Peter Jackson had his own praises for the performance of the British actor.

"We were looking for an actor who was not just going to voice a dragon that we would imagine," explained Jackson. "We wanted someone who would do something original and unexpected, something that was a surprise to us."

Andy Serkis, who has experience in performance-capture with his role of Gollum and Ceasar in the "Planet of the Apes" movie, offered Cumberbatch some advice in the beginning.

"I said, treat it like you're playing the role," quoted the LA Times of Serkis. "Don't think you're just providing the voice. Go in there physically, get what you can out of it. There will be head turns, there will be components from that performance that you give that can be pulled out and extrapolated and will become part of Smaug's being."

The story of "The Hobbit" follows the journey and experiences of Bilbo Baggins as he ventures off into an epic adventure to reclaim Erebor, the lost Dwarf Kingdom.

The film series, based on the best selling J.R.R. Tolkien novel of the same name, is portioned as a trilogy subtitled, "An Unexpected Journey" (2012), "The Desolation of Smaug" (2013), with the last, "The Battle of the Five Armies" due out later this year.

Catch the final film "The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies," when it hits theaters Dec. 17 in the United States.

See the official trailer and behind the scenes video below: