(Cover) - EN Showbiz - Hayley Atwell says she enjoyed playing a "feisty, strong lady".

The actress portrays military officer Peggy Carter in Captain America: The First Avenger. She was proud that her character was tough enough to whip male soldiers into shape and even defend them from villains.

The brunette beauty thinks that Peggy's characteristics are reflective of many modern women today.

"I was the only woman on set for quite a long period of time so I was in my element," Hayley told British TV show Lorraine. "She is a military officer and she is really tough. She spends most of the film defending everyone from the baddies so she can do just as much as the guys. She is a really feisty, strong lady. She is a very modern day woman, she is very strong and she can save him when he needs saving."

The star also revealed another perk of this particular role.

Hayley, who stars alongside Chris Evans in the movie, got up close and personal with the handsome actor on set on a professional basis.

"They were quite clever in the way that they filmed this it was the first time I saw him in the flesh," she said of a scene where she encounters a topless Chris. "So it was a natural reaction, I just grabbed his man boob. I thought, Why not?' and I felt it was my natural duty as a woman to do what many women would have wanted to do." (C) Cover Media