Here is what she had to say:

To begin with, were you aware of the life of Sam Childers and his work with Sudanese orphans before you signed on to do the film?

Michelle Monaghan: No, I wasn't familiar with Sam's story at all. When I read it I was really blown away that it actually was a true story. I mean honestly when I read it I thought, it's got all the trappings for a great Hollywood movie, but then I realized that it's a true story and this man has really had this journey. It's pretty remarkable.

Did you get a chance to meet Sam and the real Lynn Childers before you began filming or now that you’ve finished making the movie?

Monaghan: Yes, we've spent quite a bit of time together actually. Prior to shooting I initially spent a lot of time with her on the phone and then I went and spent a weekend with them in Central City, Pennsylvania. That was invaluable to me, really being able to witness their relationship, to understand the dynamic between them and to really be able to ask them a lot of questions. They were incredibly forthcoming, very honest and that was really important for me to shape the performance.

Is this the first time that you have portrayed a real person as opposed to a fictional character on screen?

Monaghan: For the most part yes, I had a small role in North Country, which was based on a true story. I didn't play a real person unfortunately so there's a lot more wiggle room I guess.

So when you're playing a role like this, what exactly is the process? After you decided to meet with Lynn, did you get your inspiration for the character directly from her, or did you try to stick to what the writer had created in the script?

Monaghan: Both, and also I knew that the script was going to be reflective of Lynn. Jason Keller, who's a great screenwriter, had spent a lot of time with Sam and Lynn so I knew that it was a pretty great depiction of her. But I also knew that she was a lot more complicated, obviously as a person. That she was a very conflicted person as well, who'd endured a lot and so spending time with her was very important because I was able to kind of ask her all the questions in between the lines. What I came to realize is she really, truly has sacrificed so much as a wife, and as a mother, kind of torn between two worlds you know; a husband that's doing great things and wanting to support that and believing in that, but at the same time, feeling not supported at home. And that's been a constant struggle in their daily lives and continues to be, you know having that balance. What I discovered was a woman that just really had a lot of faith. She really believes, as Sam believes, that he's doing God's work and he's doing great things, and that's the glue that holds them together.

As an actress, did you feel like you still had an opportunity to be creative and bring a bit of yourself to the role, or did you ever feel locked down by the responsibility of portraying a real person on screen?

Monaghan: I never really felt locked down, although she's so much different than I am that it's an inspiration as an actor to be able to play someone that goes against the grain for me. Lynn is not an emotional person, she's very, very grounded, and I'm very kind of all over the place. It was important for me to convey that about her and to have that inspiration. Whether it's a real person or it's a character that I'm playing, its great because I'll give a performance that's unlike my instincts, which are always trying to honor who she is at the core.

You mentioned Lynn’s religion and that plays a big part in the beginning of the film when Sam first gets out of prison, it's really her new found faith that leads him on this path to redemption, isn’t it?

Monaghan: Yeah it really is. I mean she is definitely the catalyst for Sam turning around his life. It was something that she waited patiently for maybe close to two years. She's really who I consider a quiet giant. She's really the backbone of the family admittedly, and she'll say or he'll say that she's probably saved his life a couple of times. He depends on her and she sacrifices a lot. I don't think that he would be able to be as confident in pursuing his crusade if he didn't have the support of her.

In the movie you get the sense, especially from Sam and Lynn’s daughter Paige; that while what he is doing is wonderful and a lot better than the destructive life he was living before, Sam is still neglecting his family by concentrating so much on his crusade in Sudan. Can you talk about how that affects your character and her family in the film?

Monaghan: Yes, that's exactly right. I think that's what they've had to cope with. At the same time they have such a great history in the sense that they both kind of came from hell and back. She's been able to see that history and have perspective on what he's doing in his life now, so at times you can question it and ask, how can she stick around and put up with that? But at the same time he's come so far from where he was at that she's able to then move forward because of it.

Gerard Butler gives a powerhouse performance in this film and it’s really a different type of role then we’ve seen him play in the past, what was it like working opposite him on the set?

Monaghan: I knew this was something that he was extraordinarily passionate about. He had lives with it for over a year, he'd done the work, he had prepped it, and he developed it. This was a man that he was taking on whole-heartedly. It's a pretty brave role to take on because Sam is very many things and bold is one of them, and that's what I think Gerard’s performance is. It was really bold and brave and he was wonderful to work with. He's really a talented actor and in down time he's a jovial, fun lovely person with a big heart. And much like Sam they both have twinkles in their eyes and both are very charismatic and passionate people.

Can you talk about working with director Marc Forster; he really had a specific tone and vision for the film, didn’t he?

Monaghan: He did you know. Mark's wonderful, and he's a wonderful director. He's a very generous person, and he's very quiet. There's something very quiet and trusting in the way that he directs his actors. He kind of guides you into giving a performance that maybe you weren't even really that prepared to give. He's very focused and a very confident filmmaker, and I think that really comes through in all his films. He's just a great, great director.

What are you working on next Michelle? Are you still shooting Boot Tracks?

Monaghan: No we finished that actually. We finished that a month or two ago and I'm really excited about that. That’s Willem Dafoe, Stephen Dorff, and myself. Then I did a little film after that with Radha Mitchell called Gus, and I'm getting ready to shoot a psychological thriller with Michael Keaton in November called Penthouse North.

Are you still set to do Better Living Through Chemistry, and if so when will that begin shooting?

Monaghan: Yeah, I think that's slated for January. I'm really excited about that. That's Judi Dench, Sam Rockwell, Olivia Wilde and myself.

Finally, one of my absolute favorite recent movies is Kiss Kiss Bang Bang. You were great in that and had a fantastic chemistry with your co-stars Robert Downey Jr. and Val Kilmer. It dawned on me that the film is ripe for a sequel and I was curious if that was something that had ever been discussed between the three of you and writer/director Shane Black?

Monaghan: That's so funny you say that because we get that a lot. I don't know? I think Shane's probably so busy doing pre-production right now on Iron Man 3, but we haven't really talked about it lately. I remember we talked about it a little bit when it first came out. I don't know if it's something anybody's ever talked about again. I certainly would be first in line though for sure. I loved that experience and love all those guys. That whole time was very near and dear to me so I always appreciate it when people say they're such fans of that movie.

To read what musician Chris Cornell had to say about contributing music to the film's soundtrack, please click here.

Machine Gun Preacher is currently in theaters now!

Full Disclosure: Machine Gun Preacher is produced by Relativity Media, iamROGUE's parent company.