Marion Cotillard believes many actors suffer from substance abuse issues because they are "fragile creatures."

The Dark Knight Rises actress thinks that some of her contemporaries give in to the allure of booze and illegal highs because they are looking for an escape from their stressful careers. When asked why she thinks so many actors succumb to alcohol and drugs, Marion said, "Actors are fragile creatures. The wider the gap, the more vulnerable we are. Any form of escape can seem good. You have to navigate through the different emotions because you're placed in tough positions as an actor. Everything we give in a performance can come back to torture."

The 38-year-old French star has also revealed her profession has led her to become enthralled with the ideals of the "American Dream" - which is the ideal that everyone deserves the opportunity to achieve prosperity and success. Marion lived in New York for a brief period to learn English and while she was in The Big Apple she fell in love with the way of life in the USA and the ideas Americans hold dear.

"In a certain respect, yes [I love the American dream]. And I love their language. I came to New York to take an English language course with Berlitz. I didn't become an actress with the aim of having a career in the US, my dream didn't have any geographical boundaries, but just after filming Tim Burton's Big Fish, I was looking forward to speaking the language fluently because my poor English from my school days was a problem on set. This love of English comes from my childhood, I grew up on American culture. Their music, cinema and literature were part of me," she said, speaking the latest French issue of ELLE magazine.