Meryl Streep says she focused on the unhealthy habits of her character as she prepared for August: Osage County.
Streep will be back on the big screen in the new year as part of the ensemble cast of August: Osage County - which is an adaptation of the play by Tracy Letts.
The movie will see her take on the role of Violet Weston: the matriarch of the Weston family and mother of Julia Roberts' character.
Speaking at an Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Q&A, she said: "[How did I prepare?] it was a lot of smoking and bad posture and staying up late drinking red wine with [actress] Margo [Martindale]."
August: Osage County is directed by John Wells, and he has brought together an impressive cast that includes Streep, Roberts, Benedict Cumberbatch, Abigail Breslin, Chris Cooper and Sam Shepard.
The story follows the lives of the strong-willed women in the Weston family, whose paths have diverged until a family crisis brings them back to the Oklahoma house they grew up in, and to their dysfunctional matriarch.
This will be the first big screen outing for Streep since Hope Springs, and she could find herself with another Oscar nomination for her performance.
Streep has also completed work on The Homesman and is currently filming Into The Woods.
Into The Woods is the latest film from Rob Marshall and sees Streep star alongside Johnny Depp and Anna Kendrick.
August: Osage Country is released 17th January 2014.
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