Screenwriter Shauna Cross saw a different side of actress Drew Barrymore on the set of their new film project, “Whip It.”
“The real Drew is smarter, sharper and more calculating [in person],” Cross says of Barrymore, who shifted to the director‘s chair to make the new film.
“It’s inspiring to see how her success is not an accident. She works really hard,” Cross says. “In this business it’s good for girls to have other role models.”
The two were on the same page regarding “Whip It,” out this week on DVD and Blu-ray. They didn’t see the film as a broad comedy a la “Dodgeball.”
“She wanted to show the real derby,” she says of Barrymore.
An agent once suggested to her she use the core of her book (“Derby Girl,” on which “Whip It” is based) for a farcical comedy.
“The real thing happening in the sport was kind of cooler than that,” she says. “I accidentally became responsible for the sport. You’re the only voice telling the story of this.”
She also thinks roller derby represents a new chapter in feminism, one which empowers women to take charge of their lives.
Feminism often operates under “the historical umbrella” of victim hood, she says.
“Women at the end of the day are so much more powerful than we give ourselves credit for,” she says. “We are one another’s best advocates and worst enemies.“
Roller derby simply reflects that new reality.
“You can be a bad ass and still wear makeup. It‘s a little more open [now],” she adds.
“Whip It” plays out like an audience pleasing romp, one which delivers equal helpings of grit and mainstream material. Yet the film performed poorly at the box office ($13 million).
“Everybody thought it was going to be so successful,” she says. “It’s a study in never counting chickens.”
Cross has been comforted by the fact that the film’s small fan base is … intense.
“The girls I know who found it … it’s one of those movies they really love,” she says. “Even if it’s a smaller group, it’s a passionate group. I’m really proud of that.”
(Photo: The cast of “Whip It” help bringing roller derby to the masses/Fox Searchlight)
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