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The actor plays a railroad worker and logger in the new Netflix movie
Amber Raikenin New YorkMonday 24 November 2025 15:36 GMTComments
CloseJoel Edgerton: I’d be the worst studio executive of all time
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Joel Edgerton is opening up about working on his new Netflix film, Train Dreams.
In the new movie, directed by Clint Bentley, Edgerton plays Robert Grainier, who works as a railroad worker and logger and lives a secluded life in the forests of the Pacific Northwest. However, he’s been haunted by the devastating events he’s witnessed throughout his life, including a wildfire that killed his wife, Gladys (portrayed by Felicity Jones), and their daughter.
Edgerton, 51, reflected on playing Robert, who has almost no dialogue in Train Dreams, during Monday’s episode of Dax Shepard’s Armchair Expert podcast. He said he looked forward to playing a character who didn’t speak much, drawing comparison to a similar experience he had in the 2016 film Loving, directed by Jeff Nichols.
“My character in that, funny, was a real-life character, Richard Loving, and he barely said a word. His wife would do the talking, and he was so inarticulate,” he explained. “I always go up to a director in the first couple of days and go, ‘Look, do not be afraid to tell me where I'm steering this thing wrong.’”
“And Jeff’s like, ‘I have one note for you, I want to understand you less,’” the actor continued. “He got me very few words to say, which was in suiting with who Richard Loving was.”
open image in galleryJoel Edgerton says he ‘knew how to keep a lid on it’ when starring in ‘Train Dreams’ (AFP via Getty Images)And that note from Nichols made all the difference for Edgerton years later working on Train Dreams.
“That sort of set the table for me for Train Dreams of trusting that if you think the right things. And so much of what Robert experiences, I'm not a logger, obviously, but I've read about how to marry life and work,” he added, noting that he is a “man in love,” who loves his kids “more than anyone.”
The Warrior star has been with his partner Christine Centenera since 2018, and they share two-year-old twin daughters, whose names have not been publicly revealed.
However, Edgerton said it was still challenging to play Robert, who’s “less expressive” than him, in Train Dreams.
open image in galleryJoel Edgerton in the new Netflix film ‘Train Dreams’ (Netflix)“So I’m making sure that with the harder stuff in the film, I just knew how to keep a lid on it,” he added on Armchair Expert. “Because normally when I go to work, I'm like, ‘Jeez, I hope I can do this scene.’ You know, particularly those you worry about, the emotional things. You go, ‘Can I do this today?’”
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Edgerton has previously opened up about how he portrays the lead in Train Dreams. During an interview with Men’s Health, published last month, he said his character mirrors some of his own approaches to being a man, such as when he embraces a quiet confidence.
“Any perception of masculinity as being about the domination or ownership of the feminine is a very dangerous and limited viewpoint,” he explained, before criticizing the “alpha” archetype, calling it a performance that stems from insecurity and denial of a childlike nature.
"The moment I see people banging their own drum, tooting their own horn, patting themselves on the back, whatever analogy you want to use,” he said. “To me, it's a sign of weakness.”
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