Ciara Bravo on how she learned to shoot up for Cherry

Ciara Bravo’s character in Cherry, Emily, is very good until she isn’t. Though she struggles with being emotionally unavailable, Emily is Cherry’s anchor when he’s in the war, making her way through school and even finding them a house to buy. When she realizes he’s making a scary slide into opioid addiction, though, she makes the absolute wrong choice and decides to join him, sacrificing herself for their romantic bond. Things go from bad to worse, and Emily ends up in dire physical straits just as Cherry is trying to straighten up and fly a little straighter. The A.V. Club talked to Bravo about her role as Emily, and how she learned to portray an addict. We also talked about her respect for addiction, as well as how good she’d be at living a double life, just like her character.