Preston 'channels grief' for film role

Kelly Preston is preparing for a film role by channelling her grief over the loss of her son, it has been reported.

The Jerry Maguire actress and John Travolta's 16-year-old son Jett died of a fatal seizure in January.

Preston has taken on her first movie part since the tragic event in Casino Jack, in which she plays the wife of Kevin Spacey's character, Contactmusic reports.

The film's director George Hickenlooper revealed that while shooting the thriller, the 46-year-old was very candid about her loss.

He said: "She wanted to do this to get back to work. She talked to me about her loss. She is deeply affected by it and she brought that to her character."

Preston will speak publicly for the first time about the death of her son at the California Governor's Conference for Women in October.

It was recently reported that the star has also been cast as Miley Cyrus's mum in the movie Last Song, which is currently filming in Georgia.