Washington, Jan 8 (ANI): Tobey Maguire has said that researching his role for ‘Brothers’ was a “heartbreaking” experience because he got to meet the families of soldiers serving in the Middle East.

In the film, the ‘Spiderman’ star plays a returning military man, whose wife (Natalie Portman) has fallen for his brother, played by Jake Gyllenhaal.

And the actor has admitted that the preparation for the film gave him a new perspective on the soldiers who go off to fight wars and the families they leave behind.

“I think that the film has given a me a greater understanding of war and those involved… I’m not going and I don’t have any real family members who have been over there (Iraq/Afghanistan), but, learning about what the families go through and what our military personnel are going through, it’s really intense and to talk to them and their families as they’re being deployed for a second and third time,” he explained.

“The sacrifice and the courage of these people is astounding, and it’s really serious business. It’s not just the risk of losing life and limb, but also how it effects these people… It’s heartbreaking,” he added. (ANI)