Was it difficult to balance directing the film and acting in it as well? It would have been easier in some ways to just focus on directing, but I wanted to be in the trenches, understanding the scary, hard, unattainable goal of achieving the skills of roller derby. I wanted to be getting injured in there with them. I think that instead of being just a leader, there’s something different about a coach. I feel like a coach is in the dugout, they’re with the team, they’re sweating it out with them, inspiring them, motivating them to go farther. I didn’t want to be the guy who, like, owned the team and sat up in a glass box, up and away, you know? Be a sideline dictator.
How are you different from most directors? ...I love to keep the camera rolling. I think you can get three very different line readings if you do them three different times in a row rather than cutting between each take. And I think it’s about just getting out there and being in a sort of boxing match with your actors, and trusting them, and inspiring each other. And stimulating each other. And it saves a lot of time. And I also don’t say “Action” and “Cut,” which glides people into a scene very naturally and glides people out of the scene very naturally. And in editing those heads and tails are very, very, very invaluable.
Did the feminist aspects of this film rebelling against beauty pageants, being tough, taking charge appeal to you most about the book and the script? I think that the metaphor of pageant in the film, which I have to say I studied a lot of films that represented pageants and they all parodied them. They all made fun of them. And I didn’t want to do that in this movie. I think pageant is not something to be talked down to about. It’s a way of life. It’s a door-opener. It’s a life choice for people. It wasn’t right for Ellen’s character Bliss in the movie. And it wasn’t right for me personally, as far as…. I equated pageants to Hollywood. I was never someone who could fit in a certain box or upheld the idea of perfection. I’m an incredibly flawed character. And I find that I’m a little bit more like a derby girl than a pageant girl in that I embrace my flaws. And I want to go out there and instead of being poised, I kind of want to be athletic. And go out there. And kick butt and show what I can do! And I also don’t like watching women be competitive with each other and have it be about winning or losing. I like watching women be a team and have great camaraderie and help each other up and have some good healthy competition, but help each other up when the other one gets knocked down, or go drink a pitcher of beer at the end of a game. Derby was emblematic of all those things I feel with my own friends.
After completing the movie, in what ways did you find directing exceeded your expectations? In what ways were you disappointed? It definitely did not meet my expectations on any level. It’s a 24-hour a day, 7-day a week job. You have to love something so much that you’re willing to get out of bed for three years and focus all of your passion and all of your attention on something. So the only thing I would say to any other director is you’ve got to love the thing that you’re working on more than anything. Because it becomes your life. So I look forward to finding something else that I was lucky enough to love with this film, my first film I got to direct, as much as I’ll hopefully fall in love with something again in the future.
