AAP: June 17

Actress Rachael Taylor admits she almost gave up her part in the upcoming Aussie film Summer Coda because of the "terrifying" task of having to learn the violin.

The Transformers star now says she's glad she stuck with it, describing the experience of making the romantic drama as "amazing".

Set against the backdrop of the orange groves of Mildura, along the Murray River, Summer Coda has been six years in the making for young, first-time Melbourne director Richard Gray.

It stars Taylor as Heidi, an American violin player who travels to rural Victoria for her estranged father's funeral and forms an initially guarded connection with orange grove owner Michael, played by Alex Dimitriades.

The film, which also stars Susie Porter and Jackie Weaver, is set for release in Australia on October 21.

Taylor admits that three weeks out from the start of filming last year she got cold feet and called Gray to tell him she didn't think she could learn the violin in that short amount of time.

"I told him I felt like I couldn't do the part, I said 'mate I have to be honest with you I feel like I'm unable to do it'," says Taylor, who's dating fellow actor Matthew Newton.

"The violin is terrifying, it's a confronting part, and I wasn't sure I was properly prepared for it.

"You don't want to embarrass yourself, Richard's been developing this project for six years, I told him he deserved somebody who felt capable," she adds.

But Gray wouldn't have it, telling Taylor she was perfect for the part.

Taylor describes Summer Coda, which was filmed in Mildura and the US, as a gentle journey about complex relationships.

"What do you do when you go to your father's funeral, who you haven't spoken to since you were eight and you meet his new wife and his new son, there's no handbook on how to handle those moments in life, and that's what the film's about."

Taylor's own real-life relationship with Newton has been under the spotlight since he was reportedly admitted to a Melbourne rehabilitation clinic earlier this year.

Newton, the son of TV great Bert Newton, has since scored himself the hosting role on Seven's upcoming series The X Factor.

Taylor, who did not want to go into great detail about their relationship, did say she was excited about Newton's new gig.

"It is terrific," she told AAP.

She hinted at some long-term plans for the couple.

"Sydney is where we want to base ourselves a little bit more now," she said.

"The people who we have relationships with and the people we fall in love with become a crucial part of who we are," she added.

Taylor will next head to Russia to work on a sci-fi Hollywood production, The Darkest Hour, with American actor Emile Hirsch.