Robb And Underwood Praise Surfer's Bravery

Teen actress Annasophia Robb and country singer Carrie Underwood have paid tribute to one-armed surfer Bethany Hamilton, praising her bravery and "wonderful" openness about her injury.

Robb takes the lead role in new movie Soul Surfer, which details Hamilton's life after she was attacked by a shark at the age of 13 while surfing off the coast of Hawaii in 2003.

The actress had several meetings with Hamilton to help her prepare for the role - and she's hailed the 21 year old for being so open and accepting about losing a limb.

Robb tells the New York Post, "She is not scared to talk about her arm.No question is off-limits with her. It's just so wonderful that she is so receptive, because as an actor, I wanted to portray her as real as possible".

And Underwood, who plays a surfer pal of Bethany's in her debut movie role, adds to Access Hollywood, "So many of us normal people wouldn't havedone any of what Bethany was able to do. I would think in (that) situation, I don't know what I would do. But her courage and her faith... Everybody told her that she couldn't do what she loved anymore and she managed to do (it) anyway. We can all learn from that".