Drew Barrymore: Makes a debut in directing with "Whip It"

Drew Barrymore: Makes a debut in directing with "Whip It"

As early reviews trickle in for Barrymore's directorial debut, girl power flick "Whip It," it seems, Drew Barrymore has all the luck and found a new career too!

She has directedd and acted alongside "Juno" co-star Ellen Page in the movie.

"Whip It," a tale of one young woman defying her mother's wish of beauty pageant stardom for the rough-and-tumble sport of roller derby, debuted Sunday at the Toronto International Film Festival, and by Monday was being called a "remarkable debut" by the media.

Barrymore spent a month alongside castmates learning the ropes in a roller-derby boot camp.

She started producing movies in 1990s and her credits include her "Charlie's Angels" adventures and her Adam Sandler romance "50 First Dates." Her training as a director has been going on for years.

After acquiring the rights to roller-derby player Shauna Cross' book "Whip It," Barrymore and producing partner Nancy Juvonen began casting about for a director and then, Barrymore realized that she had to direct this one herself.

Barrymore, thirty four, said in an interview at the Toronto International Film Festival,"I've been producing for fifteen years, and it's all been preparing for the big test. I really care so much about what I do, and I love filmmaking so much. I love every detail and every aspect of it." 

"I think slow and steady wins the race, too. I didn't need to direct when I was 21. I wanted to produce and learn about the filmmaking process and understand every element going into it, so that by the time I did direct, I was as knowledgeable and well-prepared as possible."

Page plays the role of a Texas teen,Bliss Cavendar, who follows the path of her mom (Marcia Gay Harden), a former beauty queen overseeing her daughter's rise on the pageant circuit.

On a whim, Bliss tries out for a cellar-dweller roller-derby team, discovering she's a natural skater and soon leading her squad on an underdog quest for the local league championship. Kristen Wiig, singer Eve, stuntwoman Zoe Bell and Barrymore co-star as some of Page's teammates, with Juliette Lewis cast as her nemesis, the star of the league's top team.

Barrymore mentioned with pride that she cast Page before production began on "Juno," the 2007 Toronto festival hit that shot her to stardom, becoming a $100 m smash and earning her a best-actress Academy Award nomination.

Page, twenty two, said she has always admired Barrymore for the strong women she has presented on screen as both an actor and producer.

"She's maintained such a sense of identity, she's never let herself be pigeonholed, she's never worried about what people think," Page said. "Every single person has wanted a piece of her whole life, yet she still maintains this groundedness and kindness that is really remarkable."

Barrymore is the daughter of John Drew Barrymore , who was the son of acting legend John Barrymore ,the brother of Lionel Barrymore and Ethel Barrymore .

The thirty four-year-old debuted a child actress in "Altered States," and made her mark with audiences with Steven Spielberg's "E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial" as the young girl who made friends with an alien.

By her 20s, she was producing films such as the "Charlie's Angels."

Barrymore took on a supporting role in her own directing debut, so that she could bond with her cast as they tripped and stumbled through their derby training.
 
"It was one more thing on my plate that I kind of didn't need as a director, because you've got so much going on, the training and the derby and skating on wheels and directing on top of all of that," Barrymore said. "But I thought it was invaluable to the process as far as creating that trust and relationship and chemistry with the girls."