Cinderella actress Lily James has dismissed criticisms that her waist has been made to appear too thin in the Disney film as "irrelevant".
The fairytale has proved a box office hit in the United States - but it has faced a backlash from parents claiming the princess has an unnaturally small waist.
Lily James, 25, reportedly had to go on a liquid diet to fit into the tight-fitting corset for the role.
Questioned over criticisms of the waistline ahead of the film's UK premiere, James said: "I've had friends' kids and a little boy Daniel who is nine and he said 'It's amazing how you promised your mum to be kind and good and remembered it'.
"You just thought, that's the message.
"Why on earth are we focusing on something so irrelevant?"
The remake of the classic Disney film has courted controversy ever since a trailer showed James in a blue princess ballgown with a tiny waist.
Some accused filmmakers of using digital wizardry to make it look smaller, but this has been fiercely denied.
Sandy Powell, the film's costume designer, told reporters at London's Claridges Hotel that she did not understand all the fuss about Cinderella's waist.
She said: "I don't understand what the concerns are actually.
"Lily does have a small waist, but then so do all the other girls in the film, all the girls in the film wear corsets because that's what you wear with period clothes - it creates the silhouettes."
She added: "Lily's dress in particular is an optical illusion, I have to say.
"The diameter of the skirt is about two metres and it has the width and that really does make the waist smaller than it actually is."
The film's producer Allison Shearmur also stepped in to rebuff accusations it gave an unrealistic portrayal of a woman's body.
The American said: "I'm a mum and I'm one of the producers of the film, and I think it's gotten a lot of attention.
"But the funny thing is, it's kind of paying attention to the opposite of the theme of the movie - which is your sense of beauty and your strength is what's on the inside.
"Sandy is right, I was there for all the early fittings - I would look like I had a two inch waist.
"There is a giant set of shoulders and butterflies and it was customary for women to be corseted at the time.
"Not only is it an optical illusion but I think it is interesting that the conversation has been about the outside, because this is a movie where the real emphasis is on the inside.
"My 12-year-old daughter thought the dress was really pretty, but what she took away from the film was the priority of courage and kindness."
Cinderella, which is directed by Sir Kenneth Branagh, has already grossed more than 140 million US dollars at the Box Office.
And it is set to hit the big screen in the UK later this month.
It is the latest in a string of films which creates a live-action version of a classic cartoon fairytale.
And it is not just Cinderella's appearance that has been causing a stir.
Richard Madden, who plays Prince "Kit" Charming, admitted he was a little coy at having to wear very tight trousers for the role.
He said: "There is a certain degree of self-consciousness that you have got to get over.
"When you first pull the trousers on you want to have your back to the wall because you feel exposed."
But the actor said he soon got over his embarrassment.
He said: "Luckily all the guys were in the same boat together and so we all felt as silly as each other.
"And actually, once you get on set, those costumes madly feel really masculine and they fit in with these beautiful sets, you actually feel regal and it gives you a confidence."
Sir Kenneth said he wanted to create a fairytale film that could be enjoyed by parents and children.
And he revealed he got inspiration for the film from unlikely quarters - including Indian democracy campaigner Mahatma Gandhi.
He said: "This is weird at a press conference but I'm about to quote Gandhi.
"It seems like a crazy thing to talk about in relation to Cinderella but I think it goes to the heart of the question.
"Gandhi said 'When I despair I remember that all through history the way of truth and love have always won. There have been tyrants and murderers and for a time they can seem invincible but in the end they always fall'.
"And in relation as to why perhaps someone like Cinderella doesn't do some of the things people may expect her to do, but does them in a different way, he may have some light to throw on it."