The Girl on the Train – Character descriptions

Here is a list of the characters in The Girl on the Train.

Rachel Watson
Gender: Female
Playing age: 25-40
Accent: British
Appearance: Any ethnicity and body type.
Content: Rachel will be required to kiss Scott and Tom. She spends a lot of the show drunk (but functional), and will be both the target and aggressor of physical and emotional aggression.

Rachel is the titular girl on the train. We meet her at a low point in her life, where she has divorced from her ex-husband Tom, after being unable to conceive a child. She struggles seeing Tom live a happy life with his new wife Anna, and their baby, who live in the house that Rachel and Tom bought together. Rachel drinks alcohol excessively throughout the day, and is practiced at hiding her alcoholism, although that does not often work. She lost her job due to her drinking, but still commutes each day on the train, because it passes by her old house. Although initially she watched Tom and Anna in their home from the train, she becomes more infatuated with another couple instead, Megan and Scott. She becomes obsessed with Megan, especially when she suddenly disappears, and entangles herself in the missing persons investigation, and everyone else impacted by it. Rachel is a mentally and physically challenging role, which will require a lot from the actor. She will be in most scenes, and very rarely leaves the stage.

Megan Hipwell
Gender: Female
Playing age: 25-35
Accent: British
Appearance: Any ethnicity and body type.
Content: Megan will be required to kiss Scott and Kamal. She will be the target of physical violence and discuss sensitive content matters around child loss.

Megan Hipwell is the girl Rachel wants to be. She’s a beautiful hipster who looks like she has the world at her feet, a woman that other women want to be, and one that men easily fall in love with. Despite appearances, Megan is unhappy in life,and often seeks comfort and excitement with men she shouldn’t be with. Megan’s disappearance shapes the story of the play, as the mystery of her life unfolds, mostly told through flashbacks and memories.

Anna Watson
Gender: Female
Playing age: 25-35
Accent: British
Appearance: Any ethnicity and body type
Content: The role of Anna does not require any intimacy, and she is not the target of physical violence.

Anna is Tom’s new wife, who he had an affair with before leaving Rachel. She is Mum to their baby Evie. She is living in the house that Tom and Rachel bought together, and believes that Rachel is harassing Tom, and attempting to win him back. Anna’s main priority is protecting her marriage and her baby, but she is able to stand her ground and make hard decisions when the time comes.

D.I Gaskill
Gender: Any
Playing age: Any
Accent: British
Appearance: Any ethnicity and body type
Content: The role of D.I Gaskill does not require any intimacy, and they are not the target of physical violence.

D.I Gaskill is the lead detective on Megan Hipwell’s case, and the only truly objective person in the show. They spend a lot of time with all the characters, getting mixed up in their lives, and trying to unpick the truth between them. They’re experienced and authoritative, but sometimes lose their patience with Rachel’s half truths.

Tom Watson
Gender: Male
Playing age: 30-40
Accent: British
Appearance: Any ethnicity and body type
Content: Tom is required to kiss Rachel and be physically aggressive with her.

Tom is Rachel’s ex-husband, who is now married to Anna. They have a baby, Evie. He is very charming and uses this to his advantage to attract women. Tom is central to Rachel’s story, as his emotional abuse and narcissism (which is hidden behind his charm and outward kindness) destabilised Rachel’s sense of self. He is a complex character to play, and pivotal to the play’s twist.

Scott Hipwell
Gender: Male
Playing age: 25-35
Accent: British
Appearance: Any ethnicity and body type.
Content: Scott will be required to kiss Rachel and Megan, and be physically aggressive with both of them.

Scott is Megan’s husband. He is very possessive of Megan, and after finding out about her infidelity, threatens to kill her, which makes him a prime suspect in her disappearance. He is duped by Rachel for a short time, as she pretends to be Megan’s friend to get more information, and eventually ends up in an uncomfortable romance with her. Scott has a short temper, and is aggressive with both Rachel and Megan.

Kamal Abdic
Gender: Male
Playing age: Any
Accent: British, but perhaps with a slight accent (to be decided)
Appearance: Kamal is of Bosnian heritage, and is incorrectly referred to as ‘Asian’-looking in the play, so dark features would be useful. Any body type.
Content: Kamal will be required to kiss Megan.

Kamal is Megan’s therapist, and has been helping her to work through her troubled past and find her sense of self. He has a short, but impactful romantic relationship with Megan, which he ends after regretting the unethical infringement. He is reserved and professional, but portrays a fatherly kindness and calm. Rachel visits him to investigate him, after seeing him on the terrace of Megan’s house, posing as a therapy client, where she divulges more than she intends.