Channing Tatum and Amanda Seyfried send messages of love in 'Dear John'

Amanda Seyfried and Channing Tatum

Channing Tatum is used to playing macho characters in such action movies as 2009’s "G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra" and "Fighting." In the romantic drama "Dear John" (based on the Nicholas Sparks novel of the same title), Tatum shows his sensitive side as U.S. Army Special Forces soldier John Tyree, who falls in love with college student Savannah Curtis (played by Amanda Seyfried) while he’s on temporary leave in South Carolina.

Even though they’ve known each other for only two weeks, John and Savannah decide to have a committed, long-distance romance, which is kept alive mainly through the letters that they write to each other. (John is frequently stationed at secret locations with no Internet service, which explains why he often can’t send or receive e-mail.) But as John re-enlists in the military service over the years, the couple’s time apart from each other starts to take its toll on the relationship. Tatum and Seyfried talked about their emotional, tearjerker film and what motivated their "Dear John" characters to fall in love so quickly.

What most attracted you the most to sign on for "Dear John"?

Tatum: I never thought of myself doing love stories. When you grow up, you always imagine yourself running around, shooting, and jumping from buildings and stuff, but there aren’t that many love stories seen from the guy’s point of view, and I thought it was a really interesting chance to do something like that an show it from the guy’s side. And also, Nicholas Sparks, a lot of his stuff is very, very beautiful.

Channing Tatum and Amanda Seyfried in "Dear John"

Why do you think John falls in love with Savannah so quickly?

Tatum: I think for the first time, he found someone that just sort of let him open up. I’ve met people in my life that just made me happy all the time — and I think that’s what Savannah is [to John]. And they’re the people you can’t stop thinking about, you want to be around them all the time. And Savannah being her quirky, lovable, pure self, it signifies the best stuff that John loves about the world, that maybe he doesn’t know all that much [about].

What do you think is the overall message of "Dear John"?

Tatum: I think, for me, this movie is about John feeling and really finding that it’s really possible to love. I don’t know if he really felt love. To me, this movie is about the ability to open up and find love and to fight for it. It leads as an example of if you lose [love], it’s what you do afterwards [that matters].

Channing Tatum and Amanda Seyfried in "Dear John"

How does John change Savannah?

Seyfried: I don’t think she’s ever been in love, and so she meets this guys and she feels like she completely knows him immediately, which is really beautiful. Unfortunately, she also has to deal with the transition of seeing him every day for two weeks and then not seeing him at all.

What can you say about working with "Dear John" director Lasse Hallström?

Seyfried: Channing and I are fighting over who gets to be in Lasse’s movies, because we can’t be in the same movie together again for a while. And I want to be in every single one of Lasse’s movies from here on out, and so does [Channing Tatum]. I think because I met [Lasse Hallström] first, that probably means I’ll get to be in all his movies.

Photo credits: Photo #1: Sony Pictures Entertainment. Photos #2, 3: Screen Gems.