Dominic West's dancing was cut from 'Colette'.

Dominic West

Dominic West

The 48-year-old actor and his co-star Keira Knightley learned to polka for their roles as an author and his ghost-writer wife and though the 33-year-old actress got to show off her moves on screen, their shared polka didn't make the final cut.

Asked if they had learned anything for the movie that didn't get used, Keira said: "We learned to polka and we weren't very good at it, so it didn't make the film.

"I still got dance, I did some dancing but that got cut out."

Dominic added: "It was just my dancing, our dancing."

And it's unlikely the deleted scene will make it into future DVD extras.

Keira laughed: "I'm not sure we do need to have it, it was a real fail."

The 'Anna Karenina' actress advised would-be viewers

who have been put off by the film's trailer or promotional material that it isn't just a period drama.

She told Collider: "It's kind of like a Trojan horse of a movie because you think it's that and then it just goes right off on a tangent.

"This is a film about gender identity and sexual politics, a woman finding her own voice, an extraordinary celebrity couple. It just felt so modern and relevant and current."

The British star admitted she felt "empowered" by her character, Sidonie-Gabrielle Colette.

She said: "I just think she's cool and as a woman I want to see my heroes, I felt inspired and empowered [by her]."