Emily Blunt intensely studied the lives of addicts to play an alcoholic in The Girl on the Train.The 33-year-old actress plays Rachel Watson in the new film, a 32-year-old woman whose destructive addiction has resulted in the end of her marriage.Emily, who gave birth to her second child with husband John Krasinski in July (16), couldn't relate to Rachel's addictive behaviour, so in attempt to help understand her complex character the actress binge watched U.S. TV show Intervention, which follows addicts attempting recovery."I don't have an addictive personality whatsoever, so it was like wearing somebody else's skin," she tells the New York Times. "As alien as this person is to who I truly am, I had to understand her and empathise and get into that mind-set. The thing I found most helpful was watching 'Intervention' on a loop until I had seen every type of addiction in action."
The psychological thriller - which was adapted from a bestselling book of the same name - follows Rachel's attempts to remember her actions during one of her alcoholic blackouts, actions that may help her understand if she is responsible for a dreadful crime. Despite the role being such a departure for Emily, the Devil Wears Prada star was glad for the experience."I don't think I've ever played somebody who is living in such a dark place, who is truly in the depths of despair," she explains. "And it was such an unusual element for your female protagonist, your heroine, to be a blackout drunk.""In these movies that are expected to be blockbusters, women are usually held in some sort of feminine ideal, so that they're appealing and likable and pretty."The Girl on the Train will open in cinemas around the world next month (Oct16).
