Ryan Reynolds has admitted he almost turned down his latest role in the film Buried. In the new flick Ryan plays a U.S. contract driver in Iraq who has been kidnapped and buried alive, his character has 90 minutes of oxygen left as he struggles to survive.

Ryan who is married to Hollywood star Scarlett Johansson told the US edition of GQ that when he was first told about the script "I just thought, there’s no possible way that could be any good".

Reynolds plays Paul Conroy, essentially the only actor in the film. Conroy was driving a supply truck in Iraq when he came under attack from insurgents and wakes up in a coffin with no recollection of how he ended up in this predicament. He has three possessions; a cigarette lighter; a pen and a cell phone provided by his abductors.

The indie film is directed by Spanish filmmaker Rodrigo Cortés. Buried opens on general release on October 1st.