Realism isn’t often a staple of romance cinema – films like “The Notebook” and “A Walk to Remember” seem to encourage a suspension of disbelief, rather than a concerted engagement with the real world.

But forthcoming feature “The Lucky One” has endeavoured to subvert this genre convention. The latest in a long line of Nicholas Sparks adaptations, the film focuses on a US marine sergeant (Zac Efron) who returns from his third tour of duty in Iraq, determined to find the woman whose photograph has become his good luck charm.

In preparation for the film, Australian director Scott Hicks – whose notable credits include “Shine” and “No Reservations” – immersed himself in the stories of returned US servicemen.

“When I started working on the film, I took Zac down to Camp Pendleton – which is a huge military base in California – and we hung out with a group of Marines who are his age, who really had the experience of the character in the story,” he says. “And what was really interesting was how they all connected with the idea of this photograph – they all had some sort of talisman that they carried with them. One guy had – what had been a playing card once upon a time – but it had been through the laundromat, and it was just shreds of a card that he’d carried on three tours in his helmet. He lost it one time, and panicked, and thought everything was going to come to an end.”

The experience at Camp Pendleton was especially valuable for Efron – whose previous roles haven’t required a great deal of emotional depth.

“It really helped Zac,” Hicks says. “But it was quite difficult, because you are not of [the soldiers'] world. And they’re not sure what your attitude is. So, consequently, they’re not quick to communicate with you. But I just treated it like I was making a documentary or something, and just asked questions, and kept the conversation going. And gradually, they began to open up. And some of the imagery that they inadvertently provided me with, by telling me their personal experiences, really helped. To hear, direct from them, what it’s like to be in a Humvee when it hits an IED, and what impact that has on you physically and mentally – it was a very good session that we spent.”

And while Efron might seem like an odd choice for a marine – “he was concerned that his stature wasn’t going to be right,” Hicks reveals – Nicholas Sparks claims that the actor’s appearance and age only serve to further ground the film in reality.

“When most people think of war movies and the Marines, they conjure up “Saving Private Ryan” – these are people in their thirties,” the author says. “It’s not like that anymore – we don’t have the draft. 95 percent of people who join the military do so right after high school. These guys are 18 years old; 19, 20, 21. So when you see ‘em – they’re kids. It blows you away.”

“I think Zac is 24? He’s old!” Sparks laughs. “Actually, he’s probably the most realistic portrayal of a soldier that we’ve seen.”

“The Lucky One” also stars Blythe Danner and Taylor Schilling, and will see an Australian release on April 19, 2012. [Source]