Living childhood fantasies with the big guys

SEOUL — G.I. Joe: Retaliation producer Lorenzo Di Bonaventura needed a young woman who could hold her own for the role of Lady Jaye and he easily found her in Adrianne Palicki.

“Adrianne is whip smart,” Lorenzo was quoted in the movie’s production notes. “She’s beautiful and extremely physically competent which helps audience really experience her as one of the G.I. Joe team members.”

Same with the search for the actor who would play Flint. He should blend with the “team” that also includes big guys Dwayne Johnson as Roadblock and Bruce Willis as General Joe Colton, with Channing Tatum as Duke, Ray Park as Snake Eyes, Jonathan Pryce as President, Ray Stevenson as Firefly and top Korean actor Byung-Hun Lee as Snow Storm.

D.J. Cotrona fits the Flint role to a T.

Said Lorenzo, “D.J. has a quiet intensity and is a good contrast to Dwayne and Channing. Channing has a real affability while Dwayne has a lot of strength and D.J. goes along with them, even if he has a firm backbone of his own.”

Adrianne is best known for the NBC show Friday Night Lights. She starred with Chris Hemsworth in Red Dawn, Paul Bettany in Legion and with Josh Brolin in the indie comedy Women in Trouble.

D.J. was in ABC’s Detroit 1-8-7 and a regular cast member of the NBC series Windfall, and starred in the movie Dear John with Channing and Amanda Seyfried.

Directed by Jon Chu (last work: Never Say Never starring Justin Bieber) based upon the Hasbro comics characters, G.I. Joe: Retaliation is now showing nationwide, released by United International Pictures (UIP) through Solar Entertainment Corporation.

Was it scary working with big guys like Dwayne and Bruce?

Adrianne: Bruce and Dwayne are both down-to-earth and funny guys, so we became, you know, fast friends.

D.J.: I’ve heard reports that those who have worked with Dwayne have nothing but wonderful things to say. And Bruce is obviously a huge movie star and, yes, Adrianne is right…Bruce is a funny guy.

The movie is so physically demanding for both of you and the other actors. Did you do any special preparation?

Adrianne: Oh yes, I did. It was hard work. I trained with military and fitness advisors. It was an all-around training to keep myself in shape. Luckily, I’ve already done Red Dawn and Wonder Woman, so I was able to focus on the fine-tuned details including how to holster a gun and fire it correctly so that experts along this line won’t watch the movie and say we don’t do it correctly.

D.J.: I went on a crash diet…no mashed potatoes, no jellybeans and cupcakes. I was very careful about what I ate during the physical training. I created a distinct fighting style.

You have both done drama on TV. How was the shift from drama to tough action?

Adrianne: There’s some drama in G.I. Joe, too, but it’s a bit complicated because you are supposed to carry a gun a certain way and to walk a certain way, so you have to think of all that stuff while acting. It’s hard. But by the end of the movie, it felt like second nature.

D.J.: There’s a difference. For an action film, you do specific training for specific moments and on TV it’s the opposite. You’re shooting new things all the time and you kind of figure it out at the end of the day because there’s just so much material.

What traits of your characters did you identify with?

Adrianne: I love Lady Jaye because she’s such a strong female character and I admire her. Like her, I feel more challenged when I am told that I can’t do a certain thing. That’s what connected me and Lady Jaye. We don’t shy away from any challenge. Lady Jaye is a tough chick she’s no pushover.”

D.J.: Flint is a very stubborn character who has problems with authority. I feel like the whole stubborn thing I have a problem with. Like Flint, I don’t like authority in pretty much every aspect of life.

Did you grow up playing with G.I. Joe like most kids?

Adrianne: I did, thanks to my big brother who loved G.I. Joe. Everything he did I also wanted to do.

D.J.: Yes, I grew up playing with G.I. Joe action figures, so I’ve been preparing for this role since I was six years old, believe it or not! G.I. Joe was my first toy obsession, so it holds a very special place in my heart. With this movie, I’m actually living a childhood fantasy and it feels great!

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