After making the jump from modeling to film with the Adam Sandler comedy “Just Go With It,” Brooklyn Decker has been getting something of a crash-course in moviemaking. And her latest, the big-budget alien invasion film “Battleship,” provided some particularly physical lessons.

“I was shooting another movie at the time, and I was told that Peter Berg was directing and I couldn’t see a script because it was very secretive at the time,” she says, noting that Berg — director of films like “Hancock” and “Friday Night Lights” — was enough. “At the mention of the name Peter Berg, I wanted to audition for it. And so I sent in a tape from location, and then I went to L.A. and auditioned for it three times after that. And then finally I got to actually read with Pete. And I think he wanted to see how tough I was.”

How tough are we talking? Let’s just say that, to hear Decker tell it, Berg has a rather unique directing style. “He’s known for having a way with directing actors,” she says. “There were times when he would be screaming along with me, there were times when he would fire a machine gun off in the bushes to get a reaction he wanted.”

So with an action flick under her belt, is Decker looking for more explosions or heading back to comedies? (She’s also in the just-release “What to Expect When You’re Expecting.”) “You know, I just want to play really good characters and work with really good directors,” she says. “If you look at all the female characters in Pete’s movies, they’re so dynamic. You never see a woman in his movies play the damsel in distress. He usually makes women really well-rounded, and if I get a chance to continue playing characters like that, I’ll be a very, very happy lady.”

Berg on his star

While Decker’s character doesn’t actually spend any time on the water, Berg doesn’t think that makes her any less important.

“She’s on land fighting for her life with a double-amputee. It’s this crazy duo. Brooklyn plays a physical therapist with this wounded warrior from the military, and to me that’s a huge part of the film,” he says.