‘The Girl On The Train’ Cast, Updates: Emily Blunt, Justin Theroux Reveal Behind-the-Scenes Antics Despite Filming Dark Thriller; Screenwriter Explains Move to NYC Setting

‘The Girl On the Train’ cast members Emily Blunt and Justin Theroux revealed their behind-the-scenes antics while filming the upcoming dark thriller cinematic adaptation of the book of the same name. Meanwhile, screenwriter Erin Cressida Wilson explained her reasons for moving the film’s setting from England to New York City.

During an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Blunt and Theroux admitted that they loved keeping the atmosphere behind-the-scenes light and fun even though they were filming a dark mystery-thriller film.

Blunt said, “I just feel I need to be really relaxed and happy if I’m to go there… [Director] Tate [Taylor] was great at keeping the set very light and emboldening in that sense, that you felt you had a free rein to try anything. There actually was a lot of laughter on set.”

She revealed that Theroux would make funny videos while mimicking an acting coach. She said, “He would make these hilarious videos, and he got me into doing it on set… It’s like he’s an acting coach, so he’ll send you acting tips and they’ll be ridiculous…. Justin’s are the absolute best. I’d be crying.”

Theroux added, “Oh my god, that was my favorite thing to do, just to send terrible acting tips to her when she was at work… She’s an old friend, so we had such a good time — like, a dangerously good time, to the point where we’re like, ‘We should probably just be a little more serious about this. But the material is so grim that we had to find time to laugh in between takes.”

Blunt plays lead protagonist Rachel, an alcoholic divorcee reeling from the effects of her separation from estranged husband Tom. Theroux plays Blunt’s on-screen ex-husband. In the original novel of the same name authored by Paula Hawkins, Tom left Rachel for another woman. Rachel is left an unemployed alcoholic, who experiences blackouts after binge-drinking.

Tate Taylor’s upcoming live-action adaptation also stars Rebecca Ferguson, Haley Bennett, Luke Evans, Edgar Ramirez, Laura Prepon, and Alison Kudrow. Principal photography began in New York City on November 2015.

The original novel was set in England but the film adaptation was moved to New York City. According to Yahoo! Style, screenwriter Erin Cressida Wilson admitted that a U.K. setting was not what she had in mind.

She considered other U.S. locales such as Seattle or the South but eventually settled on New York City. She admitted that one of the reasons for the U.S. setting is the beauty of the American suburbs. She said, “The train itself is totally unsexy… But the river is, and the backyards, and the suburbs – Croton-on-Hudson and Dobbs Ferry, all these places you look at when you’re coming out of the grayness of the city and you think, ‘Oh my God, I could live there.’ There’s a lot of dreams there.”

Wilson also explained that alcoholism was more taboo in the U.S. and would affect Rachel more. She said, “It’s much more of a drinking culture [in England]… It’s not as shameful as it is here… In America, [drinking at bars] is all about going into a dark hole where nobody can see you do a bad thing.”

‘The Girl On the Train’ is an upcoming mystery-thriller film directed by Tate Taylor and written for the big screen by Erin Cressida Wilson. It is produced by Amblin Entertainment, DreamWorks SKG, Marc Platt Productions, and Reliance Entertainment and distributed by Universal Pictures in the United States. It scheduled to be released on October 7, 2016.