Overseas love letters are the focus of the upcoming film, ‘Dear John,’ where a couple tries to maintain a relationship torn’by war.

Channing Tatum, who plays’John Tyree, and Amanda Seyfried, who plays Savannah Curtis, star in this season’s’tear-jerking love story, which is based on a novel with the same title by Nicholas Sparks. The two send letters to each other while Tyree is away at war.

On Tuesday, The Oracle got the chance to talk to Tatum, who also starred in the recent hit ‘G.I. Joe,’ and Seyfried, who made a name for herself on the TV shows ‘CSI’ and ‘Big Love,’during a teleconference to’discuss their roles and thoughts on the film.

Media: Channing, how was preparing for this role’different from other roles in the past like ‘G.I. Joe’ and ‘Step Up?’

Tatum: You know, I think this film in general has a lot more relation to it. I read the book, and there’s a lot of emotion in the film that we were going to be digging our fingers down into.

In ‘G.I. Joe,’ there’s not a lot of emotion. There’s explosions and stuff. So, it was a great change of pace to just get to sit on the beach with somebody and’actually look them in the eye and have a real conversation.

M: How do you think this relates to college students? Do you think this will identify’with people?

T: I hope so – I really do. I think this is about that first love you have. I hope people think of their first love. It’s really’important to find someone you care about ‘hellip; in a society today with over a 50 percent’divorce rate.

Seyfried: College-age kids are finding each other, and it’s that whole challenge of actually’realizing that this is really the’person for you instead of’fighting it. In our story, they met that young and it happens. It’s realistic. That love can thrive if you let it.

M: This is a love story and the chemistry has to be phenomenal between you two to really make viewers believe that you are in love. How was your chemistry on the set?

T: I like to play some pranks to keep things interesting. I think it’s a miracle that we actually got’anything done because we – especially the director – are crazy and will just play all day.

M: What kind of practical jokes did you play?

T: None that I can probably say. They were harmless -‘nothing too bad.

S: Yeah, we would get’in trouble.

M: You guys are both’playing pretty important roles that are representative of what many couples are going through with the war in Iraq. How do you feel about playing these roles, and did they have an impact’on you?

T: It for sure had an impact on me. ‘G.I. Joe’ was more (like a) ‘Star Wars’ and ‘X-Men.’ (They weren’t) really representative of real soldiers or real life ‘hellip; I’ve gotten to know a lot of soldiers and some of them are my best’friends now.

In my head ‘hellip; what I do won’t make me understand a soldier,’because I don’t think I or’anyone else that’s not in the armed forces will know what it’s like to’be a soldier.

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More information on the film and the full interview will be’available online in the ‘Scene and Heard’ section of usforacle.com, under the ‘Montage’ tab.