Brooklyn Decker during the semifinals of the Winston-Salem Open at the Wake Forest University Tennis Complex on August 26 in North Carolina.

Brooklyn Decker watches her husband Andy Roddick play a match during the Winston-Salem Open at the Wake Forest University Tennis Complex on August 23, 2011 in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.

Andy Roddick won his second round match, defeating Edouard Roger-Vasselin 6-2, 6-4.

(08/23) The Winston-Salem Open at the Wake Forest University Tennis Complex

Let’s answer one question right away: Yes, Rihanna can rock naval fatigues and still look sexy enough to make your head explode.

We’re sitting on the U.S.S. Missouri, docked in the middle of Pearl Harbor, just when you think it can’t get any more beautiful, in walks Brooklyn Decker and then, a bit later on, Rihanna. Let’s discuss the pop star first and specifically the outfit she is wearing as she rolls up to the press table.

This is not the Rihanna we are used to seeing: The provocative spreads in Maxim or the sexy stuff she wears while performing on stage. No, she’s in navy fatigues, covered head-to-toe, complete with a baseball cap. This is Rihanna’s first movie role and what has she chosen? A military badass.

“She doesn’t like boys. She doesn’t like girls either,” Rihanna explains. “She’s just about her weapons and her work.”

And how does the uniform fit?

“It’s really cool, it’s easy,” she says. “You don’t have to think about what you want to put on, or how cute you look.”

In the film, Rihanna isn’t a superstar; she’s simply another grunt midshipman who is suddenly thrown into a full-blown battle with aliens. If that sounds like a surprising movie debut, nobody is more surprised than the star who admitted that when she went in to discuss the movie, she had no idea she was wanted for the role.

“It’s weird how it happened,” she recalls. “I walked into a meeting, I know I had a meeting, but usually my manager would be there to prep me and say, ‘Okay, this is what we’re doing, this is who we’re meeting, and this is why we’re doing this meeting.’ She wasn’t there and I walked in. And Peter Berg just walked out and said, ‘Hi, come in’… and all I saw were these little alien mock-ups, these little dolls. And he just started saying, ‘Yeah, these are the thugs, he’s a thug.’ ‘Uhh, okay,’ I laughed and then I realized that he wasn’t laughing, and I was like, ‘This is weird. Why are there pictures of aliens all over this room?’ And it was just crazy because he was just really super enthusiastic about it, and he was so sure that I could pull it off and I didn’t even know that he was the director of the film! I didn’t know what I was doing, where I was going, why. And after I read the script I was really, really impressed and I wanted to be a part of it. Plus it was a role I felt like I could handle for the first time I’m acting.”

To get prepared for the role, Rihanna, and the rest of the actors, basically went through basic training with military personal (the Navy has completely embraced “Battleship” and has helped from the beginning). It wasn’t easy.

“This one man, his name is Donald, he pretty much drilled me, yelled at me, cursed me, made me do pushups,” she says. “My best friend was there the second time we worked together, and I said to her, ‘Okay, I’m about to do acting class, but you’re going to want to kill this man, so just stay in the bedroom. Don’t listen to anything he’s saying to me right now, just don’t kill him Melissa, just stay in the bedroom.’ And I remember she just kept walking around, and she would just glance at me, ‘Are you okay? Did he just say ‘f*** you’ to her?’ But I mean it really got you in the mentality, that’s the things they really go through, you know, when they first sign up.  It’s not a walk in the park.”

The other part of the experience that seems odd from an outsider’s perspective, but is actually comforting to Rihanna is the numbers game on set. She, along with Brooklyn Decker, is only one of two females in this testosterone-laden blockbuster. But from Rihanna, it’s nothing new.

“It’s really exciting because this is how I grew up,” she admits. “I grew up being the only girl in my group of friends. Most of my friends were guys until I found a female best friend. In this case, I’m one of the guys; I’m never ever acknowledged as a female, there’s no sympathy for me because I’m a female. She’s just hardcore, she’s tougher than most of the guys on the ship. So she has that respect, and she walks with that swagger too.”

For Decker, this experience is not quite as new as it is for Rihanna, but it’s pretty close. At the time of the set visit, nobody knew Decker. They may have noticed her from the pages of Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue, but the Adam Sandler-comedy “Just Go With It,” her first movie, hadn’t been released and therefore this whole acting thing was still new to her as well.

“I did a romantic comedy before so you can imagine the difference between the two,” she says. “This one is incredibly challenging. Physically, emotionally, I mean we’re talking about the end of the world. Obviously it’s a huge, daunting task ahead, but, I think that’s why I’m having such a blast on it; it’s such a challenge. I’m a new actor so I’m around these guys and feel so inadequate, but if you’re going to learn, learn from the best. I’m really happy to be here.”

She’s also one of the few civilians in the film. She plays the daughter of Liam Neeson, the admiral in the film, and the love interest of Taylor Kitsch. And while those guys had to go through military training for the film, Decker had her own drills.

“I did a lot of prep, because I’m a physical therapist,” she says. “I worked in military hospitals and I learned how fix prosthetic legs, dislocated shoulders, and things like that. I definitely did a lot of training with that. As far as fighting, I’m going to go through fight training which should be fun.

When asked about being one of the only two girls on board, like Rihanna, Decker is pretty excited.

“It’s funny because [Rihanna] and I are both actually really big tomboys,” she admits “It’s like her and I and all the guys. There’s no ‘we’re running off to get manicures together.’ It’s all guns and war, which is really fun. The boys are so cute and Rihanna is gorgeous, so the whole cast is… we definitely have a cute cast.”

Source: MSN Movies

Model and actressBrooklyn Decker, who is married to tennis star Andy Roddick, will accompany him to the Winston-Salem Open, set for Aug. 20 to 27. Decker, who was the cover model for the 2010 Sports Illustrated swimsuit edition, is excited to be coming to the Triad, said Bill Oakes, the director of the tournament.

Decker will be present for as long as Roddick remains in the tournament, the director said.

“We’re going to have activities for the spouses, girlfriends, parents, brothers, sisters and friends during the event, from serving Yoforia to a group that will do manicures and pedicures for folks in the players’ area,” Oakes said.

Events are planned for all the guests of players, from special tours and events to shopping opportunities, he said.

Decker, who grew up in Matthews, a suburb of Charlotte, is best known for her modeling work as well as several acting roles. Decker has appeared in TV shows such as “Chuck,”"Ugly Betty” and “Royal Pains.” This year she appeared in the major motion picture “Just Go With It,” and she will star in the 2012 movie “Battleship.”

“We’re not doing anything special just because it’s Brooklyn Decker … but we do want to be sure that all the guests of players that will be coming in for the tournament have a great time and are treated well,” Oakes said.

The Winston-Salem Open, a participant in the eighth annual Olympus U.S. Open Series, will be held at the new Wake Forest Tennis Center at 100 W. 32nd St. near Wake’s BB&T field.

The Winston-Salem Open is one of 10 summer tournaments linking to the U.S. Open. The tournament level is an Association of Tennis Professionals World Tour 250 event.

On April 11, 1945, a Japanese pilot intentionally flew his plane into the starboard side of the USS Missouri, dying instantly and leaving a damaged exterior near where he was later buried at sea.

On Sept 10, 2010, mere inches away, I sat at a table, drank mineral water and interviewed the top Sports Illustrated swimsuit model. Life is weird that way.

Brooklyn Decker plays “Sam,” a hiking enthusiast/girlfriend/daughter and if you saw her in the Battleship trailer, you probably thought to yourself something along the lines of “hubba hubba hubba.”  Below are highlights from a roundtable conversation on the set of the film.

What’s the difference between shooting this film and your first one, Just Go With It?

This one is incredibly challenging. Physically, emotionally, I mean we’re talking about the end of the world. Obviously it’s a huge, daunting task ahead, but, I think that’s why I’m having such a blast on it; it’s such a challenge. I’m a new actor so I’m around these guys and feel so inadequate, but if you’re going to learn, learn from the best. I’m really happy to be here.

You mentioned you’re a new actor and watching Peter direct… he has a very unorthodox style. Can you talk about coming into this new world and having Peter as your guide so to speak?

Peter’s a completely unconventional director. You’ll be fighting an alien and he’ll throw things at you like, “order a cheeseburger and French fries!” and you’ll be like “what!?” He does it just to throw you off so you’re mind gets fresh again. Things like that make it fun and really exciting. You never know what he’s going to come out with. He comes from an acting background so he knows how to talk to all of us, which I think helps us especially with Rhianna and I who are new to sets. He just really knows how to get to us.

Are a lot of your scenes filmed on the ship or are you land?

No, I’m land. I’m actually one of the few civilians in the film. I play the Admiral’s daughter, who’s played by Liam Neeson, and Hopper’s (Taylor Kitsch’s) girlfriend-ish thing, whatever we are, and it’s very complicated with the script. They’re all on the ship having this incredible battle, meanwhile these aliens have invaded the United States as well so I’m on land trying to fight them from here. With these guns!

Do you wield a gun in the film?

Actually, yeah. I was going to shoot a gun and then I wasn’t so I was like, “guys, come on.”

What kind of gun?

I don’t know… but it’s a big one on the hip. We’re going to learn all that and it’s going to be great. Actually what’s cool is, and I know they prepped you guys for this but, we have an Iraq vet who lost both his legs in 2007 and we’re sort of side-kicks to one another in our story. With him being there, he’s really teaching me all this military lingo and how they do things and fight. His fighter instinct comes out so being around him sort of lights a fire under you.

What’s it like acting with him, though? Because he’s not an actor. . .

He’s not an actor but our thing with the movie is it’s a lot of banter. The story starts out and he’s this stubborn guy. He doesn’t want to walk, he doesn’t want to put on his prosthetic legs, and he’s just stubborn. He’s stuck in this sort of mental and physical rut and it’s my job to sort of get him off his butt and start moving. He and I have that dynamic in real-life so we sort of feed off each other. If we didn’t have Pete as a director I don’t think this would work but he’s so encouraging to actors, as far as improv and “do what feels natural to you.” You want to hit him? Go for it. And, I think for us, it makes him feel really natural and at home. He’s not intimidated, worried, or restricted.

Will you need any physical training for this?

I will, yeah. I did a lot of prep, because I’m a physical therapist, in military hospitals and I learned how to fix prosthetic legs, dislocated shoulders, and things like that. I definitely did a lot of training with that. As far as fighting, I’m going to go through fight training which should be fun.

How many days have you been filming?

Two!

Are you a big action-adventure or sci-fi fan?

Yeah, I am. I’m definitely a geek for drama and every genre really, but there’s something about this story that’s really sweet. We’re on this battleship, we have full military support filming this movie, and we have real veterans which makes this movie unique. It’s not all smoke and mirrors. We’re actually legit. Pete’s big on having us be prepared and have knowledge on the military and knowing the order of the ranks.

Did you do your scenes with Liam Neeson yet?

I did. Not all of them but we have started yes. He has such a great presence. First of all, physically, he’s this powerful big person and that lends itself perfectly to make this movie scary and intimidating. It’s my second day on my second movie, I feel like a fish out of water. Liam Neeson’s on set and I’m like this is not my life right now.

Do you feel like you and Rhianna are going to be close because you’re the only 2 females in this group?

Yeah. It’s funny because we’re both actually really big tomboys. It’s she and I and all the guys. There’s no we’re running off to get manicures together. It’s all guns and war, which is really fun. The boys are so cute and Rhianna is gorgeous, so the whole cast is… they definitely have a cute cast.

Did you play the boardgame Battleship when you were younger?

I think it was a little bit before me, but what’s funny is, I have it on my iPhone which is sort of a testament to the times. I have played it, not religiously or anything, but I have. But, on the iPhone, it’s totally different. You move it with your fingers and it’s a completely different game.

What’s the next boardgame movie?

I think they should make a Scrabble movie. A Scrabble action movie.

By Jordan Hoffman

Brooklyn Decker won her first Teen Choice surfboard award as “Choice Movie Breakout: Female“.

Choice Movie Breakout: Female
Brooklyn Decker, Just Go With It

And for “Just Go with it”

Choice Movie: Chemistry
Adam Sandler and Jennifer Aniston,Just Go With It

CONGRATULATIONS BROOKLYN!