Cory Monteith's Final Film Role as Drug Addict [VIDEO]; Glee Cast Cory Monteith and Girlriend Lea Michele were Moving In Together Before Tragic Death

Glee Cast Cory Monteith plays a drug addicted street hustler in his final role.

The movie's director, Josh Waller, said that the experience helped Cory Monteith grapple with his own substance and alcohol abuse battle: "He looked at it as an artistic experience but also something of a cathartic experience."

Tragically, Glee Cast Cory Monteith was found dead in his hotel room Saturday.  He was 31.

The director told US Weekly that Cory was "moved, emotionally" by seeing the film's final cut.

The director said: "He sent me a really beautiful email that evening just stating how much excitement he had and how much pride he had on the work that he had done."

"Which I'm glad, because I know I thought he did an incredible job...And you know sometimes for actors it's hard to watch themselves on screen or to acknowledge when they've done a good job, and he didn't come right out and say, "I did great!" But he was very proud."

Watch Tribute to Glee Cast Cory Monteith here:

Cory Monteith got the role despite not conforming to the director's expectations of a drug user: "In my mind, I was envisioning a teeny little drug guy [for the role], but Cory Monteith is this tall, strapping man.

"But when I met with him, he wanted to do it so badly. He was very vocal about his past, and said he wanted to tap into things from his youth that he hadn't been able to use as an actor yet.

"The first time that we met he was pretty open about his past, and as it turns out, I guess he's always been very open about it, in terms of the press, which I think is very smart,' Waller tells Us of their first meeting.

"The second that we started shooting, like literally the moment that he was on camera, any concerns that I had were gone. Immediately gone."

Despite Coryy Monteith's experience with drugs, Sgt Randy Fincham said that there was nothing to indicate Monteith's death was due to illicit drug use.  The City Coroner is to perform an autopsy to determine cause of death.

Glee Cast Lea Michele, Cory Monteith's girlfriend, has asked for privacy in her mourning.  The two were longtime castmates on the musical comedy show.  Cory Monteith played Finn Hudson.  Lea Michele plays Rachel Barry.  Lea Michele and Cory Monteith were supposed to move in with each other before the tragic death.