Samantha Morton feels a "huge responsibility" tackling literary characters on the big screen.

The actress is starring in Andrew Stanton's science fiction epic John Carter alongside Taylor Kitsch, Lynn Collins, Willem Dafoe and Dominic West. The movie is based on Edgar Rice Burroughs' 11-volume Barsoom series.

Samantha is famed for her portrayal of characters from well-loved literature, starring in period dramas including Jane Eyre and Emma.

Samantha felt anxious ahead of her portrayal of Sola, daughter of Tars Tarkas.

"The nerve aspect of that was huge. But ultimately it was more to me about finding her spirit and really connecting on that. As Andrew pointed out, this character has a much bigger life, and you see her at the beginning of a very, very long journey and that's so exciting because it's like having a secret," she laughed in an interview with Cover Media.

"It felt a huge responsibility, but one that was a pleasure."

Director Andrew also revealed the importance of the extension of the back stories of Taylor and Lynn's characters John Carter and Dejah Thoris.

The filmmaker didn't want their on-screen characteristics to become too pass.

"Well, I just wanted them to have more character, more growth. To me, you watch movies because you want to watch character growth and change. In the books, they were who they were - they reacted the same way every time," he explained.

"That works in a serial nature, but they became tropes and clichs over the 100 years. Clichs come from something that actually works, but when they've been abused and made redundant, then they become an off-putting thing."

John Carter is released in UK cinemas from March 9.