John Travolta says playing a woman came naturally to him.

The 59-year-old actor has always been inspired by ''erotic'' screen sirens so jumped at the chance to be transformed into voluptuous comedy character Edna Turnblad in 2007 musical movie 'Hairspray', and had no trouble mastering an effeminate walk for the role.

He told The Sun newspaper: ''Women have been so important in my life. I didn't need to ask my wife how to play a woman for my film 'Hairspray'. I'd grown up surrounded by women and had a lot of great memories.

''The women I liked growing up were Sophia Loren, Anita Ekberg, Marilyn Monroe and Elizabeth Taylor. They were erotic to me. I have the ability to move in a curvaceous way. If you give me breasts and an ass - as I had in 'Hairspray', with the prosthetics - I can move!''

John - who has 13-year-old daughter Ella Bleu and two-year-old son Benjamin with Kelly Preston - admits his wife was in awe of his transformation, and joked he prefers women with a little meat on them so was comfortable with playing larger-than-life Edna.

He added: ''When my wife saw that movie, she cried. She found it moving, touching, sweet and funny. I like well-built women.

''To me, women are too skinny now. I married a voluptuous woman. She might not look it, but she is! Trust me on that.''