Barsoom <\/em>novel series. What kind of research did you do for the role?<\/strong><\/p>\nUm, I was never a comic book guy. I was always outside. I grew up in a small town, literally with a frozen pond in the back yard and the forest was my playground. I think that way imagination was always going wild. I\u2019m hoping my kids will have the same thing, I definitely won\u2019t put them in front of a TV screen. I just don\u2019t think it is a good thing for kids to use TV as a babysitter. I still love being outside. <\/p>\n
How did you find working with co-star Lynn Collins, herself a prominent emerging actor?
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\nAh I\u2019m a big fan, I\u2019m a huge fan. I think the best compliment you can give an actor is that you think they’re going to be around for a long time and she\u2019s the real deal – she\u2019s good to go. <\/p>\nAnd (again, Carter co-star) Willem Dafoe?<\/strong><\/p>\nOh, huge fan. There were definite moments on set that were just like “Oh that\u2019s why he\u2019s Willem Dafoe.” Off camera, he was there early, incredibly prepared and very driven and he gives you that energy.<\/p>\n
He wore these pyjama-esque costume onset, right? Did you spend a lot of energy trying not to laugh on set?
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\nIn between takes you had moments for sure. I mean, I was in leather and a glorified skirt and boots for most of the shoot. So I think you can jab at one another for sure. But when the cameras start rolling, you learn to escape. <\/p>\nYours and Willem’s characters have both experienced loss. Is that something you developed your onscreen relationship on?<\/strong><\/p>\nAh, I think it was kind of unspoken. It was very a supportive thing in one another that just played out very well. It\u2019s one thing to be actor that\u2019s just like “how do I play this scene?” and another to be like “how are we gonna make this scene look good?” And that\u2019s the beauty of Willem – he\u2019s the latter. Believe me, you work with actors that are just worried about how they\u2019re gonna come out, and that\u2019s not fun to work with and it\u2019s not true to the story, either. It was a lot of fun \u2013 heart is really at the core of John Carter, so we both had a lot to dive into.<\/p>\n
How do you feel about a potential sequel?<\/strong><\/p>\nI want a nap before I do it [laughs]. But I hope so, I think it would be a crime not to explore it again.<\/p>\n
You have quite a few films coming out soon, too.
\n<\/strong><\/p>\nBattleship<\/em> and er…<\/p>\nSo small projects, then.<\/strong><\/p>\nYeah, subtle independents [laughs].<\/p>\n
And we\u2019ve got Oliver Stone\u2019s Savages<\/em> after that. Buckle up for that one, truly.<\/p>\nWhat was the scale of that, then?<\/strong><\/p>\nEnormous, it\u2019s enormous. It really is the kind of pinnacle summer blockbuster, it\u2019s huge. I play Alex Hopper, a guy who\u2019s basically afraid of his own potential, afraid of failing so he doesn\u2019t engage until his brother enrolls him in the Navy and through attrition becomes a leader and saves the world. <\/p>\n
So you spent all of this film getting dusty and all that one getting wet… How did it come to pass that the films would all get a 2012 release date?
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\nIt\u2019s so out of my control. The best aspect is that the roles are so incredibly different. Between them, they\u2019re not recognisable guys. I love to see John Carter<\/em> up against Sean, the guy I play in Savages<\/em> \u2013 I don\u2019t think you\u2019ll recognise them. I\u2019m very conscious of that \u2013 I\u2019ll never work for the sake of working. I just like roles that I can dive into. I love working with the best and I hope to keep doing it. Hopefully you guys will never be able to pigeonhole me.<\/p>\nDo you live in LA?<\/strong><\/p>\nI live in Austin, Texas. I\u2019m building a home on the lake right now. That\u2019s where I\u2019ll live for a long time.
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\nWhere did you grow up?<\/strong><\/p>\nI grew up in a small town outside Vancouver, Canada. Then I moved to Austin, Texas to do a show called Friday Night Lights<\/em>. That kind of exposed me to Austin and from there I just didn\u2019t want to leave. I\u2019m never there ironically, because of work. In 2010 I worked 50 weeks. I think I was in Austin for three weeks that year. I think I\u2019ve proved that I don’t need to move there. I definitely don\u2019t play the game.<\/p>\n