Voice Of Post

The Best of Me's' James Marsden and Michelle Monaghan on finding humor in darkness, As "Meet the Parents" and "The Big Lebowski" have proven, human ashes can be a source of comedy under the right conditions - and strange as it sounds, the forthcoming Nicholas Sparks adaptation "The Best of Me" continues that tradition this weekend.

Not that the film isn't a drama - it is - but there's a disarmingly chuckle-worthy moment (during an otherwise poignant scene) that involves the scattering of human remains in a field. As stars James Marsden and Michelle Monaghan tell it, the moment came courtesy of a so-called "happy accident" during rehearsal.

"We walked out there, and as you opened up the box...the top dropped, and you almost dropped the whole urn," Marsden reminded Monaghan. "And [director] Michael [Hoffman] loved it."

"It was so good, cause I remember honestly dreading that scene, cause I felt like, 'oh my gosh, it feels just so heavy,' you know?" Monaghan recalled. "It's great when happy accidents happen like that."

See, everybody? Death doesn't have to be a total bummer.

So how much input did Marsden and Monaghan have in casting their younger co-stars Liana Liberato and Luke Bracey (playing teenage versions of the same characters)? And - tying in with the theme of the movie - are there any roles the actors lost out on in real life that they'd want a second chance at playing? Check out the full interview above to find out.