Susan Boyle's first televised performance captured the heart of Hollywood star Anne Hathaway.

The American actress is starring as Fantine in Tom Hooper's big screen adaptation of 'Les Misérables' and was inspired by Boyle's 2009 'Britain's Got Talent' audition when she performed 'I Dreamed A Dream'.

Hathaway gushed to OK!: ''I think she's adorable, and her story was so heart-warming. Before I knew I was going to play Fantine, I'd watched that clip [of 'Britain's Got Talent'], when I was having a low day, and it just made me feel so wonderful.

She added: ''The thing about it was of course her, but the thing that's also fun is to watch Simon Cowell's mind racing, as a producer and an adding machine! I just loved that clip!''

Hathaway - who famously lost weight and had her long locks chopped off to play the struggling prostitute in the movie - revealed how she tackled the testing tune.

She explained: ''It was really exciting to take this iconic song, which is so beloved, and find a way to put it through the prism of film - and that meant having to go very, very, very deep inside myself to some uncomfortable places. But that's what we do, and those are the jobs that you remember and those are the ones that make you grow.''