Watch Cory Monteith's Final Role As A Drug Addict In Upcoming Film

Yahoo/"McCanick"After checking out of rehab in April, Cory Monteith played a drug addicted street hustler in his final role.While most Cory Monteith fans were used to seeing the actor as peppy "Finn" on Fox's "Glee," the 31-year-old actor's last role before his sudden death Saturday was far grittier.

In the cop drama "McCanick," Monteith plays Simon Weeks, a drug-addicted street hustler who is sent to prison for seven years on murder charges.

Monteith made it no secret that he struggled with addiction throughout his life.

The actor checked into rehab in March and told Parade just last month "I'm lucky to be alive" after taking "anything and everything" and having a "serious problem" as a teenager.

So when presented with the role of a drug addict, "McCanick" director Josh C. Waller tells the LA Times Monteith "didn't say it was a cathartic experience, but you could sense it."

"In my mind, I was envisioning a teeny little drug guy, but Cory Monteith is this tall, strapping man," the director recalled. "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."

Watch the stirring film clip below: