I had the opportunity (and privilege) to meet and interview Lynn Collins, the actress who plays Dejah Thoris in the upcoming film, “John Carter”. I was able to attend a pre-screening of the film and I was so impressed by her character that I could not wait to meet her. I must say that Lynn Collins is such a friendly, charming and articulate woman who truly appears to love what she does (there really isn’t a way to properly convey all of the passion she demonstrated throughout the interview).
Read on to find out more about her character, being a role model, saving money, her next move and more….
How Dejah’s character in the film “John Carter” differs from the character in the novel “A Princess of Mars” (on which the film is based off of)
Where Dejah was a damsel in distress in the book, Andrew Stanton (The Director) took the liberty of making her character “strong and amazing”.
*How Lynn related to her character, Dejah
“ Dejah is basically me but with like 8 layers of San Tropez Bronzer and some tattoos and a hair piece… In my career, I really wanted to sort of be a morpher and not show my own identity and with Dejah, she is so big that I had to break through that pattern and actually expose myself.”
Dejah’s Character and its impact on Women & Men
The whole idea of creating her character was so that women could say “That’s what I am capable of” but so that Men could also say “That’s what I want to support”, “That’s what I want to surrender to in Love” or “That’s what I want in a friendship”
*On Dejah being a Role Model
I would say that the process of playing Dejah was “like there was a seed that sprouted and grew like a tree within me to grow big and strong and confident and that seed is in everyone. That energy, everyone can embody. It is a universal human quality.”
*How Lynn trained for all the physical parts of the film
I started training at 4 with Karate, went to Juilliard at the age of 17 and did a lot of stage combat.
Flexibility on her Lines
Andrew was so amazing that if I had a question about a line he would be like, ok let’s just change it right now… “to make it more comfortable and real”.
Her friendship with Taylor Kitsch (John Carter)
We have been friends for a while (they both were in the movie “X-Men Origins: Wolverine”) so when it came to our test (they were looking for chemistry), we just told ourselves “Let’s Just do this”, “Let’s get these parts”…and we did.
*Being Married & Having Intimate Scenes in her Career
“It’s Rough” It’s difficult, but I was fortunate because with this movie I knew Taylor and he was so kind and he also worked with Steven and they have a bond. I thought it would be awkward but it wasn’t. Steven was on set. True Blood was more difficult because it was so explicit and although I don’t think I would do that now but I am glad that I did it.
Her plans for returning to theater
I do want to return to theater “but it has to be the right thing though, because with theater, there has to be a dedication on a daily basis…I would love to do some Tennessee Williams, I would love to play Lady MacBeth, maybe do a new play with a couple of new playwrights…It just has to be right, because once I am in, I am in.”
Her next move & potential offers
“It’s tricky…cause those offers can be nice but it has to be right. After you do something like this, you have to be strategic in the next move…”
Is she signed on for John Carter 2?
“We find out, I guess 2 weeks after it opens” (let’s keep our fingers crossed that this happens)
*What she loves about acting
“…There’s magic to story telling, that there is something that relieves us from what we are pinned down to with being human. That there is a release in Art.”
Sharing her love for the craft of Acting
I think I would probably start with theater. “I’d love to go back and teach at Juilliard…Teaching is that form of giving back, you receive so much…So I would love to do that.”
Lynn’s Favorite Movie
Alien
Lynn’s Favorite Actress
Sigourney Weaver
*Her thought s on saving money (You know I couldn’t resist asking)
“Saving Money is Very Important…I think security is so important to me, to have that blanket of whatever your savings is, however big it is, to save something so that you don’t worry about money…..It doesn’t mean that you have to make a lot to not worry, it’s the actual gesture of saying I am going to take care of myself. I am going to make sure that I am ok, that’s what saving is to me.”
*Lynn and Coupons
Her mother uses coupons so she grew up with that. Lynn said “They are very important and they can save you a lot of money…Especially with those necessities.”
This was a round table interview, so I have out a (*) by the question indicate questions specifically asked by me
JOHN CARTER arrives in theaters everywhere on March 9th!
Here’s what it is about From Academy Award®–winning filmmaker Andrew Stanton comes “John Carter”—a sweeping action-adventure set on the mysterious and exotic planet of Barsoom (Mars). “John Carter” is based on a classic novel by Edgar Rice Burroughs, whose highly imaginative adventures served as inspiration for many filmmakers, both past and present. The film tells the story of war-weary, former military captain John Carter (Taylor Kitsch), who is inexplicably transported to Mars where he becomes reluctantly embroiled in a conflict of epic proportions amongst the inhabitants of the planet, including Tars Tarkas (Willem Dafoe) and the captivating Princess Dejah Thoris (Lynn Collins). In a world on the brink of collapse, Carter rediscovers his humanity when he realizes that the survival of Barsoom and its people rests in his hands.
