Since making her debut in Bernardo Bertolucci’s The Dreamers, Eva Green has played a lot of formidable female characters. From Kingdom of Heaven to Casino Royale to The Golden Compass to her latest film, Dark Shadows, she’s portrayed women who are more than a match for their male counterparts. And in 300: Battle of Artemisia, the follow-up to Zack Snyder’s 2006 blockbuster 300, she continues this streak, playing Artemisia, a character who’s the equal to her co-stars, including on the battlefield.

“She’s a character who really existed,” Green told The Hollywood Reporter Saturday. “She’s a commander of the Persian armada. So she fights – she’s like a man.”

Green spoke to THR at the Los Angeles press day for Dark Shadows, Tim Burton’s big-screen version of the cult television show. Comparing the role to her past ones, she observed that Artemisia falls in line with the strong women she’s portrayed in other films. “She’s another very, very strong woman that has some balls, that’s for sure,”

Watch the video above for more details about her character and the upcoming film, which she reveals is going to be “quite different” from its predecessor. Dark Shadows opens nationwide May 11, 2012.