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Denzel Washington's new mystery-thriller Flight is as much about battling addiction as it is about a pilot who saves lives, and the former co-star of the late Whitney Houston says that despite being "under very strong influences," he knew that she tried to turn things around.

Video: How They Pulled Off That Intense 'Flight' Crash

"I'm not the expert, but some say you have to decide to turn things around, and she was under very strong influences; that drug (cocaine) is ten times more serious than wine, or whatever," Denzel tells good friend and special ET correspondent Rocsi Diaz. "I can't speak for anyone else, you know? I know she tried, and people try and they fall and get back up."

Related: Jordin Sparks opens up about the lesssons she learned from Whitney Houston

Denzel starred with Whitney in The Preacher's Wife back in 1996. She died in February of this year at age 48, found in the bathtub of her hotel room at the Beverly Hilton in Los Angeles. According to the Los Angeles County Department of Coroner, the cause of death was drowning along with the effects of atherosclerotic heart disease and cocaine use.

Video: Denzel Washington's Dizzying 'Flight'

In Flight, Denzel plays Whip Whitaker, a seasoned airline pilot who crash lands his plane after a mid-air catastrophe, still managing to save nearly every person on board. After the crash, Whip is hailed as a hero, but as more is learned, more questions than answers arise as to who or what was really at fault, and he soon finds himself facing criminal negligence charges.

Flight takes off in theaters November 2.