From Beauty to dragon-slayer

I had never even heard of the board game Dungeons And Dragons when I got Courtney Solomon's script, which adapted it for the screen. I still haven't played the game, but I've heard a lot about it.

When I first told my friends, they went "Oh my God, they're doing a movie of it. Finally!" To me it seemed an obscure game. And my friends said, "Usually, only really weird kids play it."

I decided to take the film because I admired the director, Courtney. He had been trying to make this film for some insane amount of time, and yet his dedication was still strong. You could see him light up when he talked about it. He became very animated.

I play the Empress Savina, who fights against an evil magician, played by Jeremy Irons, to save her people. She has a battle to protect her empire, which everyone seems to think she's not capable of controlling. She's frazzled - her father's just died - but in a short amount of time, she tightens up and gains control of herself.

Deep down she's a strong, able person. She's in tune with the people, though in her heart she's not regal. It's a fantastical and good-looking film - I get to flip over a dragon that flies towards me at one point.

The D&D world, as a whole, is governed by rules. Certain characters can use only certain weapons. As Empress, I have my sceptre which controls the dragons, so I don't have to deal with swords and knives. That's too gross and gnarly for an Empress.