Cory Monteith was best known for his role as Finn Hudson on the hit Fox series "Glee," but the 31-year-old actor was looking to break away from the friendly confines of television. Monteith, who was found dead in a Vancouver hotel room on Saturday afternoon, had completed work on two indie features: the addiction drama "McCanick" and the ensemble film "All the Wrong Reasons."
In "McCanick," which Monteith shot in September of 2012, the star played a drug addict recently released from prison after spending seven years behind bars on murder charges. According to the film's director, Monteith used his own past history with drug use as inspiration for the role.
"He didn't say it was a cathartic experience, but you could sense it," director Josh C. Waller told the Los Angeles Times.
Monteith wasn't shy about discussing his past substance abuse issues. In a 2011 interview with Parade Magazine, Monteith revealed that he became addicted to drugs as a teenager and used "anything and everything, as much as possible." The actor, who in the interview admitted to having a "a serious problem" when he was younger, said the only reason he pulled through was because he stole a "significant amount of money from a family member" and got caught. Then, in March of this year -- long after shooting on "McCanick" had completed -- Monteith voluntarily checked himself into rehab for substance abuse issues.
His role in "All the Wrong Reasons" didn't hit as close to home. Monteith played a store manager in the film, which focused on the lives of four people following a traumatic event. Kevin Zegers co-starred in the film with Monteith, and expressed his grief on Twitter following the actor's death:
I've never lost a friend this close. This feels like a mistake.
— Kevin Zegers (@KevinZegers) July 14, 2013
In addition to those two films, Monteith also starred with Selena Gomez in "Monte Carlo." More on his burgeoning film career can be found at the Los Angeles Times.