Elizabeth Shue originally joined Battle of the Sexes as tennis adviser

Actress Elisabeth Shue originally signed on as a tennis adviser for new movie Battle of the Sexes.

The star plays Bobby Riggs' wife Priscilla Wheelan in the film about the famous 1973 tennis match between Billie Jean King and Riggs, but she initially offered her services as a court expert, telling directors Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris she wanted to make sure their coverage of the sport she loves was all aces.

"I originally wanted to be the tennis adviser because I knew Jon and Val a little bit and I said, 'You have to make sure the tennis in this movie is good'," she told U.S. chat show Today on Thursday (21Sep17). "So that was my job at first and thank God there was actually a part for me... but the tennis is really good in this movie."

Elisabeth started to play tennis 15 years ago and competed with her brothers, actor Andrew Shue, William, and John.

"I am obsessed with tennis," she continued. "When I was 37 I decided I needed to find a sport that I could beat my brothers at... So 15 years later I can beat them, but I had to play every day, five times a week, to get there. It's a really difficult game."

And she praises the movie's Billie Jean and Bobby, portrayed by Emma Stone and Steve Carell, for putting in the effort to make their tennis-playing scenes as authentic as possible.

"Steve worked for probably six months and all those scenes with him... he really sold it," she said. "So the worked really paid off and he was a tennis player when he was younger, but he had to learn that different style. Emma put on 15 pounds. The physicality she has in the film is incredible."