Drew Barrymore had no reservations about starring in a romantic comedy with her on/off boyfriend Justin Long - insisting their real life relationship made their onscreen love affair in GOING THE DISTANCE more believable.
The Charlie's Angels star enjoyed a year-long romance with the actor which ended in 2008, but they remained close after the split and have since kept the press guessing over the status of their relationship.
The pair stars in new movie Going The Distance, about a couple forced to live apart by work, and Barrymore admits her off screen turmoil with Long made him the perfect choice for the role of her lover.
She tells Britain's Daily Mirror, "I thought it would be a unique experience to go work with someone I had a history with and who I had emotional times with and who genuinely makes me laugh and who I'm genuinely attracted to.
"I knew the chemistry between us would be honest so we would be able to bring a truth to the fact that a relationship can be very difficult and I thought that would be a real benefit. I think we balanced the line really well and I think we were willing to bare that chemistry and the pain and joy we'd felt in life."