'The Age Of Adaline' is released in the US today and it sure looks to be a movie with many layers. Playing a woman who ceases to age and lives as a young woman throughout the 20th century can't be easy, but Blake Lively reveals she looked at unusual sources for inspiration.

Blake Lively in 'The Age Of Adaline'Blake Lively embodies her 'Age Of Adaline' character

The 'Gossip Girl' star plays Adaline Bowman in the slightly mystical romantic drama, which sees her character rendered ageless following an accident. While the idea of immortality is seemingly appealing, the movie explores how it complicates her life; constantly faced with love affairs that must end and even a daughter who she must live to see pass away. For a young woman, she surprises all she meets over her long life with her sense of poise and wisdom, but where exactly did her character's personality come from?

'I'm just trying to pretend like an old cat lady', she laughs. 'She's an old woman and I'm sure she would've gone a little bit crazy but she's also someone who's closed herself off for so long.' She does admit that, actually, she looked at her own grandmother's personality in preparing for the role because she 'came of age' around about the same time as Adaline, in the 20s. 

Watch the trailer for 'The Age Of Adaline' here: 


'[She] was just a lot more formal and proper and ladylike', Lively explains. 'Adaline comes of age in the 1920s so there would be that formality to her. She'll be a little closed off, a little more reserved. Women didn't really have the best time there early on.' She suggests that it might've been a good idea, initially, for Adaline to change with each decade but ultimately that would've complicated things a lot more given the history of feminism. 'Each different decade in the past century for women has been so vastly different for where they fall socially and politically that it would be really hard to capture each different woman', she said, knowledgeably.

She admits, however, that while Adaline is a little stuck in the past, she does believe the character would be pleased that women are able to run for president. 'It's silly that that's something we have to be proud of now', she scoffs. 

More: Blake Lively steals the red carpet at 'The Age Of Adaline' New York premiere

Nonetheless, Lively confesses that some things from the past ought to stay. 'I think the 1940s was my favourite decade for fashion', she stated on the red carpet at the Tribeca Film Festival screening of 'The Age Of Adaline'. 'Still very glamorous but elegant, chic.'