HALEY BENNETT

The Girl on the Train and Rules Don’t Apply actress, 29, stars in Thank You for Your Service, in theaters Oct. 27. She plays the wife of a U.S. Army veteran (Miles Teller), one of several real-life soldiers depicted in the movie who are trying to adjust to civilian life after returning home from war in Iraq.

How do you think people will feel about how Thank You for Your Service portrays PTSD and the horrors of war after the fighting is over? My hope is that it will get people talking. My father and my grandfather were both veterans. Also, my first boyfriend became a Navy SEAL. I come from this world. It got me asking a lot of questions. The story took on a personal meaning for me.

Are your feelings about the film more intense because it is based on real people? It’s very much based on a true story and real families and what their struggles are. I had a real human connection. When I read the script, it was like an alarm went off, and I had to get in there and untangle the wires and detonate the bomb.

You’re on location so much; how do you make it feel like home? I travel with these beautiful vintage trunks filled with blankets, sheets and pillowcases—everything but the dining room table. Everyone always says, “You’re going to pull out a Persian rug or a lampshade, like Mary Poppins.” The art of travel: I’ve nailed it.

What are your interests when not working?

I just took a dive into Russian literature. It’s so fun. I do quite a bit of knitting as well. So knitting and Russian literature, preferably at the same time.