Photo: Getty Images

While bloody sword and sandal epics have been around since the time of Homer, this week’s Conan the Barbarian raises the stakes by letting the audience get closer to the gore with the addition of 3-D. Starring Game of Thrones’ Jason Momoa as the titular Conan, this remake of the 1982 Arnold Schwarzenegger camp classic is a visceral (and yes occasionally barbaric) adventure with a few more beheadings than its predecessor. Offsetting the hulking Momoa is the lovely Rachel Nichols as Tamara, a sprightly if unlikely monk. Though Nichols looks like she’d be more at home in a Noxzema commercial, she’s spent the last few years in action-packed roles from Star Trek to GI Joe: Rise of the Cobra. In Conan, Nichols not only tags along with the namesake hero, she occasionally gets to save the day. We caught up with Nichols to ask about which stunts were her favorite, the perks of being tall, and how exactly to survive the a red carpet.

ELLE: This film definitely lives up to its name with the large amount of blood and fighting on screen.

RACHEL NICHOLS: Some people thought it was too bloody but I thought it was awesome. I said, “It’s Conan the Barbarian!”

ELLE: How did you get involved? Had you seen the original before?

RN: The original came out a year after I was born…we were a little behind the times, I never saw the original. When I got involved with this project I met [Director] Marcus [Nispel] first and I tested with Jason and they offered me the job. Suddenly Jason and I are in Conan the Barbarian and neither of us have seen the original. So we were like, “Ok cool, we’re going to do our own thing.” [We] vowed to see it when all of this was over.

ELLE: Your character’s interesting because she actually starts out as a monk, which is unexpected. RN: When I was reading the script and she starts off as a monk. I was like, “Ok, where is this going?” Then four pages later she’s ripping the knife out of some evil man’s hand. I liked that about her. It was unexpected, plus she gets [Conan’s] back right from the very beginning. Yes, there’s that damsel in distress element—but before that she’s kidnapped, she kicks butt, she joins forces with Conan. She saves his life. She was just different; she got to be a butt kicker.

ELLE: You’ve actually done a lot of action roles lately starting off with the TV show Alias and then GI Joe and now this. Is that something you gravitate toward?

RN: Yeah, I love it. I don’t know how that happened, but I think it’s awesome. It started when I was on Alias and I started training with Jen Garner’s trainer then I [got] into the physicality of roles. I took them on with open arms. I loved the training, I loved learning fight sequences and how to shoot guns, and ride horses and play with swords and all that stuff. Now it’s nice because people look at me and say she can do action. That’s pretty rad.

ELLE: How was it working with those outfits?

RN: Wendy Partridge was amazing. We worked together before in Resurrecting the Champ—it was a very different movie obviously—but she was really smart. She made things very functional. The white rags I’m wearing in the beginning are tied up into pants. The only thing that wasn’t the most comfortable was the corset, [it] was really, really tight and not necessarily conducive to breathing. But I never had to wear high-heels—that’s always nice.

ELLE: That does seem difficult—

RN: When we did GI Joe, I’m significantly taller than Sienna Miller, so Sienna was in super, super high heels the whole time. She was like “I hate you!”

ELLE: Did you have any stunts that were your favorite to try out?

RN: When I drove the carriages with the four horses running at full speed, that was one of those times that I said “Oh my God!” But also—there is nothing more satisfying than hitting a blood bag and having it explode all over the place. When you’re using guns in a scene you don’t get the blood bag explosion. But when you’re using swords and you get it just right, you get the explosion and it’s awesome!

ELLE: How is it being the either the only girl or one of the few girls on set in a movie like this when you’re stuck in Bulgaria for three months?

RN: I love it. I’m not going to lie.  I was there all three months. I’m a football loving kind of girl—hang with the boys. I don’t mind the extra attention.

ELLE: You just had the premiere for this film last week. Do you have any tricks when you’re walking the red carpet?

RN: I think you have to be comfortable. If you’re going to strut the red carpet, you not only have to feel good and like what you’re wearing; you’ve got to be comfortable in it. If you’re uncomfortable and hobbling along, it’s not a good look. I always smile on the carpet. There’s a lot of people who do the Blue Steel, but I’m really happy to be there so I do a lot of smiling. I think smiling is fashionable.