'Conan The Barbarian' Actresses Talk Swords & Sorcery

By Michael Lopez

Who says the new Conan the Barbarian movie is just for guys? Despite plenty of sword fights, explosions, and bone-crunching stunts, this latest theatrical reboot also includes some pretty dynamic female characters. Star Trek’s Rachel Nichols plays Tamara, a headstrong love interest for the Cimmerian warrior, and Rose McGowan portrays Marique, an evil witch. Both actresses spoke exclusively to Tr3s about their roles at a recent Conan press conference.

"It was fun being able to play a witch," McGowan explained. "I don’t think I've ever played a character that was so unconstrained. Normally you're asked to pull back with a character, but not here. We had a lot of fun with it."

Interestingly Rose has played a witchy woman before, back in the early 2000's, when she had a starring role on the cult series, Charmed. But for Conan, she's exploring much darker territory. Her character uses magic for pure evil and comes with her own very unique look.

"I think Marique is kind of amazing looking," McGowan said. "But it took six hours in the makeup chair to get that way."

Rachel, on the other hand, plays the lady heroine of the film and a very sexy love interest for Conan. When asked about her chemistry with star Jason Momoa, Nichols had nothing but praise.

"I loved working with Jason," she said. "There's something about him. He’s a huge presence. He's a big guy and he's got that booming voice, but there's also something really sweet about him."

Don't worry fellas, this revamped Barbarian is anything but soft. Throughout the film, Jason racks up quite a body count with some insanely intense action sequences (as Rose can attest).

"This movie has amazing swordplay," McGowan said. "Seeing Jason and [villain] Stephen Lang go toe-to-toe was amazing. It was very impressive."

Rachel was quick to chime in on the topic too, making sure that fans knew the women in the film are just as capable of swinging a blade as the boys. When speaking about her character Tamara, she said,

"Tamara definitely gives Conan attitude. There's some hostility in their relationship. She is not the typical damsel in distress. I really like the modern idea of 'I don’t need Conan to save me, I can save myself’."

You can see just how "epic" Rose, Rachel, and Jason's scenes get when Conan the Barbarian arrives in theaters next Friday.

Are you planning on watching Conan the Barbarian? Sound off in the comments or @MTV3.

Tags Blogger: Michael Lopez, Conan the Barbarian, Exclusive Entrevistas, Jason Momoa, Movies & CineMás, Rachel Nichols, Rose McGowan, Tr3s Exclusives