‘John Carter’ role required changed lifestyle

MIAMI – Lynn Collins was prepared to do battle with giant, four-armed aliens from Mars for Disney’s “John Carter,” out today. She got her training at Juilliard, after all, and reacting to a green screen was a piece of cake.

“We were taught about the fourth wall,” she says from The Four Seasons Miami Hotel. “It’s really about taking that leap with your imagination and committing so that the audience can commit.”

Collins plays Dejah Thoris, a Martian princess who enlists the help of mysteriously transplanted Civil War-era earthling John Carter to save her planet. It’s based on the story “A Princess of Mars” by “Tarzan” author Edgar Rice Burroughs. Carter is played by Collins’ old friend and former “X-Men Origins: Wolverine” costar Taylor Kitsch.

“It’s really easy; we just get along,” she says of the hunk. “It was sort of kismet that we were together again, and we knew and respected that.”

Preparing for “John Carter” was humbling. Collins, 34, had to transform herself from a “rail thin” smoker to clean-living, kick-butt warrior.

“At first the stuntmaster said, ‘You’re not going to be able to do anything!’ But then they started me on boxing, which not only built up my muscles but my courage. The physical stuff brought out the internal.”

Sacrifice? You could say that. Not only did she have to give up cigarettes, but also her favorite food: cheese.

“When you are working with a trainer they want to see results. If you’re not going to put everything you have into it, why do it at all? I let the process work itself out, and it was fascinating, and that sort of discipline was very gratifying.”

Did we mention Princess Dejah had a reddish hue? That wasn’t makeup.

“Weekends were all spray tanning,” she explains. “Monday I showed up at 3 a.m., and they put tattoos all over me. Friday we’d take everything off, and they’d literally massage my entire body with oil to get all of them off. Then it would start all over again.”

Next up for Collins: possibly an indie flick. “I’ve been offered roles similar to Dejah, but I don’t know if I want to go there,” she says. “It’s such a journey when you play someone this strong. She’s the coolest!”