TORONTO - Actor Bill Murray says it was an ambitious move playing U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt in "Hyde Park on Hudson."

On the red carpet at the Toronto International Film Festival, Murray says he felt it was a role he had to take.

He says people expect a lot when a well-known figure is portrayed on screen and that had to be taken into consideration.

Film director Roger Michell says Murray was ideal for the role and was "super duper" in the film.

Murray and actress Laura Linney star in the true story of Roosevelt's relationship with his distant cousin and soon-to-be mistress Margaret Suckley.

The affair unfolds over a weekend at the president's country estate with the visiting King and Queen of England in 1939.

The Toronto International Film Festival runs through Sunday.