Nichols, who was most recently seen in J.J Abrams’ Star Trek as the scantily clad 'green girl,' says her character, Scarlett, was very enticingly written in part because of her budding romance with Ripcord.
"Scarlett is this fantastic tomboy who goes through a bit of a change during the movie," explains Nichols (Shopgirl, Charlie Wilson’s War). "She’s a weapons specialist who can fire a crossbow and do anything, but when she meets Ripcord, for the first time in her life there's a guy that's flirting with her. That’s very foreign to her."
The futuristic setting meant the actors got to play with lots of cool-looking weapons and other gadgets. Probably their least favorite among these were the 'accelerator suits,' high-tech performance-enhancing exoskeletons the G.I. Joe operatives wear into battle.
"We called them the devil's condom," jokes Tatum (Fighting, Step Up). "It took about 45 minutes to get into them and if you sat still for even 30 seconds, they made your hands and feet numb. We had to wear them all day, and it was absolute torture the entire time. But they looked great on screen."
It wasn’t all blood, sweat and tears for the cast and crew, however. Many of the actors spent much of the production in Prague, the capital of the Czech Republic, which doubled for Paris in the movie.
One of the film’s most seasoned actors Dennis Quaid (Vantage Point, The Rookie) was denied that pleasure, however.
"Everybody else got to go to Prague, but I got to be in Downey, California for a couple weeks," quips Quaid. "No resentment, though."
Quaid plays the leader of the G.I. Joe unit, General Hawk a character he describes as a cross between General Patton, James Bond and Hugh Hefner.
"This is a 21st Century state-of-the-art action film," Quaid says. "It’s a wild thrill ride that just pins your ears back. It’s the kind of movie I like to go to in the summer."
G.I Joe: Rise of Cobra is released 7th August.
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