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Real Spotlight reporter on how Rachel McAdams got in her head

Boston Globe investigative journalist Sacha Pfeiffer pulls back the curtain on the real investigation that inspired the Oscar-nominated film "Spotlight".
Sacha Pfeiffer, right, the real reporter behind Rachel McAdams' Oscar-nominated role, says her craft is "endangered". (Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP)

Sacha Pfeiffer "never ever ever ever ever" thought Hollywood would be interested in the details of her work. The Boston Globe investigative journalist didn't even muse about who might play her in a movie.

"It just seemed beyond the realm of possibility," she tells Shad.

Enter Spotlight. The Oscar-nominated film dramatizes the true story of how her four-person investigative team helped expose widespread sexual abuse of children by Catholic priests. Rachel McAdams, the actress who plays Pfeiffer, is also up for an Academy Award.

The reporter joins Shad to pull back the curtain on the real investigation, reflect on the surreal experience of being portrayed on screen, and share the one question that still nags at the real life Spotlight team. 

WEB EXTRA | Pfeiffer says McAdams captured mannerisms she didn't know she had. "She wanted to embody me psychologically." Watch the result in a clip from the film below.