More of this Feature "SEABISCUIT" PREMIERE COVERAGE: • Tobey Maguire ('Red Pollard') • Jeff Bridges ('Charles Howard') • William H. Macy ('Tick Tock McGlaughlin') • Gary Stevens ('George Woolf') • Director Gary Ross and Race Designer Chris McCarron MORE INFORMATION ON "SEABISCUIT": • "Seabiscuit" Premiere Photo Gallery • "Seabiscuit" Photo Gallery • "Seabiscuit" News, Trailer, and Websites • "Seabiscuit" Credits

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The real Marcela Howard, second wife of Seabiscuit's owner, was strong, confident, a fearless adventurer, and responsible for bringing Charles Howard back from the depths of despair. Her love breathed new life into Charles after the death of his young son and the break-up of his first marriage.

Executive producer Robin Bissell believes Elizabeth Banks has the beauty and qualities of an old-time movie star, the type of qualities the real Marcela Howard possessed. "We read a lot of people for Marcela. Elizabeth came in and we read the last scene in the movie between her and Jeff Bridges, which is with the child's game. She brought something so real to it, and it hammered us in the room," recalled Bissell.

ELIZABETH BANKS ('Marcela Howard')

Do you share any characteristics with Marcela?
Yes. I mean, she's really outspoken. She was very sassy. I think that's the main thing I wanted to bring to her was a sense of sass and intelligence, and the main thing being that she had a partnership with her husband. She's not behind the scenes in any way, but never really upstaged him. She knew her role. We played her half Katherine Hepburn, half Eleanor Roosevelt.

Were you able to find out anything about the real Mrs. Howard?
Yes, she didn't pass away until 1987. A lot of the material that was used to write the book by Laura Hillenbrand comes from Marcela's diaries and her scrapbooks and her photos. I had access to a lot of that information.

How did the costumes help you get into character?
I really thought Marcela lived in those hats and those gloves, and all the accessories. It was really fun and beautiful.

Do you have any experience with horses?
Yes, I grew up riding horses. I grew up in a small town in western Massachusetts. There were lots of farms and I grew up riding my whole life.

Did you enjoy getting to ride?
I loved getting on the horse and I loved that we got to go fast, that's the main thing. I'm over sort of trotting on the trail. It was very exciting to get up to top speed.

So you did your own riding in the movie?
That was me. I'm very proud to say I did all my own riding in the movie.

What are you doing in Spider-Man 2?
I reprise my role as Betty Brant. Other than that I can't say anything about the movie, sorry!