‘Stop! That! Train!’ Interview: Director Adam Shankman and More

The film features ‘RuPaul’s Drag Race’ stars Ginger Minj, Jujubee, Brooke Lynn Hytes, Symone, and Marcia Marcia Marcia, as well as Rachel Bloom (‘Trolls World Tour’), Sarah Michelle Gellar (‘Ready or Not 2: Here I Come’), Chris Parnell (‘Saturday Night Live’), and RuPaul Charles (‘A Very Brady Sequel’).

Moviefone recently had the pleasure of sitting down in-person at Union Station in Los Angeles to speak with director Adam Shankman, Ginger Minj, Jujubee, Brooke Lynn Hytes, Symone, and Marcia Marcia Marcia about their work on ‘Stop! That! Train!’

Shankman discussed his first reaction to the screenplay, being influenced by ‘Airplane!’, and the film’s celebrity cameos, while the cast talked about their characters, improvising on set, and what it means to them to be starring in this film.

Related Article: Moviefone’s 2026 Theatrical and Streaming Summer Movies Preview Guide

(L to R) RuPaul and Matt Rogers in ‘Stop! That! Train!’ Courtesy of Bleecker Street and World of Wonder. Credit: World of Wonder / Bleecker Street.

Moviefone: To begin with, Adam, what was your first reaction to reading this screenplay and why did you want to direct this movie?

Adam Shankman: Because it was funny, it was too funny. I haven’t read anything this funny out of the gate in a long time. The original draft was on an airplane, and I said to them, “I can’t do that. I’ll have a target on my back because it’s too much like ‘Airplane!’. It doesn’t matter who’s in it, I’m going to be a target.” But I said, “Well, what if we put it on a train?” They were like, “Well, what do we do with all the airplane jokes?” I said, “Keep them. We can just keep all of that because it’s funny to me on a train.” So when they said sure, I said, “I’m in.”

MF: Adam, since you mentioned it, can you talk about how ‘Airplane!’ influenced this movie?

AS: Oh, of course. ‘Airplane!’, the Zucker Brothers and Jim Abraham‘s movies, obviously ‘Hot Shots’, ‘The Naked Gun’, and Mel Brooks were all influences. I mean, there is nobody who did stupid like Mel Brooks. Those were my influences growing up, that’s where I learned comedy from, that and ‘The Golden Girls’. When you learn that that’s funny, it makes you want to just keep doing that, because it’s just in me.

(L to R) Ginger Minj and Jujubee in ‘Stop! That! Train!’ Courtesy of Bleecker Street and World of Wonder. Credit: World of Wonder / Bleecker Street.

MF: Ginger, what was your experience like starring in this movie?

Ginger Minj: It’s a little daunting but Jujubee and I have spoken about this before. It’s one of those things where there’s a lot of pressure, I think, to kind of represent, because it’s not an opportunity that really has come around a lot. I remember when I was growing up, my only frame of reference for a drag superstar was either Divine in a John Waters movie or when I went to the movie theater and saw RuPaul in ‘A Very Brady Sequel’, and went, “Oh, so I can be this strange, queer concoction of all of these different things that I think I might be, and still be a movie star.” So, it feels like to be able to be in the position to be that for the next generation is a wonderful thing, but something I would never take lightly.

MF: Jujubee, can you talk about Tess and DeeDee’s friendship and what it was like working with Ginger to create that on screen?

Jujubee: Well, there was no creating. It exists. This is our friendship on screen, and I pull from our real-life experiences. We toured together for months right before, so I think that was the best homework. We just became close. We’ve known each other for years and years. I convinced her to audition for ‘Drag Race’. She won, and I’m very happy for her. Do you believe me? But you know, I feel like I’ve won because I get to co-star with Ginger in ‘Stop! That! Train!’

(L to R) Marcia Marcia Marcia, Brooke Lynn Hytes, and Symone star in ‘Stop! That! Train!’

MF: Brooke, what was your first reaction when you read this script and heard you were going to be part of this movie?

Brooke Lynn Hytes: I thought it was hysterical. It was so funny. It was so quick. It was so sharp, and it was just brilliant. So, as soon as I got the opportunity, I said, “Absolutely, yes.”

MF: Symone, the movie is very funny. Was the humor all in script or were you free to improvise in the moment?

Symone: It was. I read it a few times. The more you read it, you see where it’s going. I’m so excited to be a part of this, and in a comedy where we’re not necessarily the butt of the jokes. Now that was fun and lovely to be a part of. Adam, he gave us a pretty long leash. He was like, “Do it one way like it is on the page.” Then all of us would kind of put our own little spin on it, and a lot of them made it into the film. So, there was a lot of fun and improvisation on set.

(L to R) Marcia Marcia Marcia, Brooke Lynn Hytes, and Symone in ‘Stop! That! Train!’ Courtesy of Bleecker Street and World of Wonder. Credit: World of Wonder / Bleecker Street.

MF: Marsha, what does it mean to you to have an opportunity to be seen in this movie?

Marsha Marsha Marsha: I don’t know, it feels amazing to be seen. If you look at this cast of Queens, I’m the only one that isn’t a darling of the franchise or isn’t a winner or a host. I’m kind of the wild card, I guess people might say. So, I was so honored when they asked me to audition, and everything. I’m pleased and blessed to be here with these fine ladies.

MF: Finally, Adam can you talk about all the cameos in this movie and how you got everyone to be involved?

AS: Look, having everybody in there supporting this, it was not hard to get people to say yes. I thought it was going to be more difficult, because it wasn’t like we were paying anybody very much. It wasn’t like that. They just came to support, and they believed in these artists. They also read the script, and they knew it was funny.

(L to R) Ginger Minj and Jujubee in ‘Stop! That! Train!’ Courtesy of Bleecker Street and World of Wonder. Credit: World of Wonder / Bleecker Street.

What is the plot of ‘Stop! That! Train!’?

Best friends and train stewardesses Tess (Ginger Minj) and DeeDee (Jujubee) trade their dreary shifts on the Stank Rail for the glitzy Glamazonian Express. However, when a catastrophic Stormaganza threatens to crash the high-speed train into Los Angeles, the duo in coach must join forces with the snobby first-class attendants and President Gagwell (RuPaul Charles) to save the day.

Who is in the cast of ‘Stop! That! Train!’?

‘Stop! That! Train!’ opens in theaters on June 12th.

List of Adam Shankman Movies:

Buy Tickets: ‘Stop! That! Train!’ Movie Showtimes

Buy Adam Shankman Movies on Amazon