Russell Brand `sniffed alcohol` on Arthur set

The comedian plays drunken millionaire playboy Arthur Bach in the remake of the 1981 film. He was forced to give up drink and drugs after becoming addicted.

Director Jason Winer said Brand would take a quick sniff of the hard stuff to help remind him what it was like to be drunk.

'He sniffs alcohol to give himself a sense memory of what those days were like. Russell's been sober for years so we're not worried,' he told Empire.

Russell, 35, admitted that he also used his own experiences of drug addiction to play musician Aldous Snow in Get Him To The Greek.

He said, 'It's really good because it's more fun to play him on drugs because now it enables me to relive the better aspects of my own drunken hell without some of the terrible consequences.

'I think it was written with my personal problems in mind so yes, I was able to bring a lot of that to the script.

'I went through all of those years with a crack and heroin addiction I might as well get some money out of it. It cost enough. It was expensive. You get beaten up and go to crack houses. There's a down beat in a crack house.'