Actor Matt Dillon says he spent time with drug addicts and bought a hypodermic needle on the street to prepare for his role as a junkie in the movie "Drugstore Cowboy."

Dillon, 25, said he went with a friend, a recovering drug addict, to a lower Manhattan park to buy "works," an illicit drug kit that included the needle.Observing addicts to learn their mannerisms, outlook and motivation was natural for an actor who considers himself a student of society.

"I don't live in exile. I'm not an absolute recluse," he said. "I live my life. I like to go out. You have to keep in touch with life around you. You have to observe things."

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