Michelle Monaghan Talks 'Fort Bliss' & Opens Up About Sexual Assault In The Military

Michelle Monaghan takes time to pose for a photograph while visiting the SiriusXM Studios on Thursday (September 18) in New York City.

That same day, the 38-year-old actress sat down for a special interview and Q&A appearance at the Apple Store in SoHo to promote her latest film, Fort Bliss.

Michelle, who plays U.S. army staff sergeant Maggie Swann in the flick, opened up about how sexual assault in the military was a troubling common theme in her research.

“First and foremost, something the movie tackles is sexual assault,” Michelle told HuffPost Live. “And most of the women that I spoke to had incurred a level of that. That was really significant for us… We couldn’t actually fully tell the full female experience in the military without addressing that in some stage. This is something that happens. That’s a particular trauma that women come back with.”

“One of these things I took from a lot of these women, in having had these experiences they had, whether they had been sexually assaulted or they had been in combat and witnessed some pretty severe trauma, was the way in which they related to it. The way in which they conveyed it,” Michelle continued. “They’re very matter-of-fact in the way that they express things. These women are very grounded. They’re not necessarily asking when they’re speaking to you for sympathy on compassion, they’re asking for a simple acknowledgement and to be heard.”

FYI: Michelle is wearing a Michael Kors pants, her own top, Christian Louboutin shoes, and EF Collection jewelry at Sirius. She’s wearing a Preen dress, Christian Louboutin shoes, and Melinda Maria jewelry at the Apple event.