New York Film Fest: How the ‘Gone Girl’ Cast Reacted to Landing Their Parts

Gone Girl had already sold nearly two million copies before David Fincher signed on to direct the movie, giving the film a built-in fan base in those who devoured Gillian Flynn‘s popular novel.

With Fincher and star Ben Affleck joining the Reese Witherspoon-produced project, the Gone Girl buzz grew even louder and has continued through the release of eerie trailers, the streaming of its spooky soundtrack and rave reviews, making the movie, set to hit theaters on Friday, one of the most eagerly anticipated films of the fall.

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Apart from Affleck, Tyler Perry and Neil Patrick Harris, most of the rest of the cast is filled with lesser-known actors poised to break out if the film is a hit.

Ahead of Gone Girl‘s New York Film Festival world premiere Friday night, The Hollywood Reporter asked several of the cast members how they reacted when they found out they were going to be part of the phenomenon.

Read more How the ‘Gone Girl’ Cast Avoids Spoilers

Here’s what they said:

Carrie Coon plays Nick Dunne’s twin sister, Margo: “Oh, I couldn’t even believe they got my tape. I made a self tape in my living room in Chicago, and I just can’t believe that they even watched it. It was extraordinary. I would tell people the news and almost couldn’t believe it myself, that it was happening. And now here we are, and it still sort of feels unbelievable that this is happening.”

Patrick Fugit plays Officer Jim Gilpin: “I auditioned and I got cast fairly quickly close to the shooting date. So I was very excited, but I also don’t think I realized how involved my part was going to be. So I was excited, but I was sort of easygoing about it. Then I showed up on set and realized I had more work to do than I originally thought.”

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Kim Dickens plays Detective Boney: “I was blown away! I couldn’t believe it happened. I knew when I read the pages — I didn’t get to read the script, and I hadn’t read the book; I had the audition, and it was about 18 pages — I read the pages, and I said, ‘Well, I gotta take a shot at that,’ because I felt so connected to that character. … I started skimming the book as fast as I could before the audition to find out anything I could about the character. I just went in and auditioned on tape, and I auditioned for David [Fincher], and I got it. I was blown away. I couldn’t believe it. I felt like the luckiest person in the world.”

David Clennon plays Amy Dunne’s father, Rand Elliott: “I was surprised. I actually went to the first cast reading not knowing that I had the part. So when I showed up on the soundstage with tables all around the room for people to sit at and read the script, that’s when I realized that I actually had the part, so it was quite a surprise. I was doing another project at the same time, and it was keeping me very busy, so I wasn’t really able to keep in touch with my agent and find out whether I had the part or not. So the first reading of the screenplay was the moment when I learned that I had the part. It was a pleasant surprise.”

Lisa Banes plays Amy’s mother, Marybeth Elliott: “Yee-haw! Goody! Can’t wait.”

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