Juliette Lewis talks on the Ellen DeGeneres Show about her “roller derby bad ass” role in the movie Whip It starring Ellen Page and directed by Drew Barrymore. Whip It is an inspiring movie about being your own hero and finding your own tribe.

Opened in theaters on October 2. For more information about Whip It, click here.

Ellen Page and Alia Shawkat take time for a behind the scenes interview about Drew Barrymore’s “Whip It” at the Toronto International Film Festival. This interview captures the spirit of roller derby which includes team spirit, feminism, fun, diversity and a DIY culture.

Page talks about how much she loved the “Whip It” script and working with director, Drew Barrymore. She especially likes how the movie sends a positive message for young women to accept themselves as they are.

“We have a constant saturation in the media, especially with stories about women that involve a lot of judgment and a lot of nastiness” Page said.

“Here’s an atmosphere where women…can be really aggressive and that’s okay…but also have this sense of camaraderie, you know; beat the crap out of each other and then go have beers afterwards, and laugh about it and to really be there for each other and to have a world that’s just judgementless. And that’s pretty nice.”

I agree, that is pretty nice. That’s why it’s worth it to go see this movie and take a young woman that you care about.

Opens in theaters on October 2. For more information about Whip It, click here.

The upcoming Roller Derby movie “Whip It” isn’t just about girls hurting each other and looking sexy. It’s also about the spirit of young women like Babe Ruthless (played by Ellen Page) pushing out of their comfort zones and uniting for a common goal. Coming to theaters October 2, 2009. For more information about Whip It, click here.

Technically, I wanted to see this movie 33 years ago but Drew Barrymore was in no position to direct it then and Ellen Page wasn’t even born yet.

This roller derby movie is for any girl who was, or is 50% tomboy, 50% girly-girl and 100% misunderstood. It might not have the budget or hoopla of Harry Potter but it’ll probably make you feel pretty powerful.

It’s a story set in Bodeen, Texas of an indie-rock loving misfit and ex-beauty pageant contestant (Ellen Page) who finds a way of dealing with her small-town misery after she leaves her crown behind and joins a roller derby team.

Starring Ellen Page, Drew Barrymore, Juliette Lewis, Marcia Gay Harden and Zoe Bell. Whip It also features L.A. Derby Dolls Iron Maiven and Krissy Krash. Release date: October 9, 2009.

Watch the trailer on YouTube.

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My roller derby name definitely gave me super-powers even though I never did play on a team.

After about 3 months of skating with the Fresh Meat of L.A. Derby Dolls I challenged myself I come up with a roller derby name. I wanted something I could be proud of, something I felt good about and something that encapsulated who I wanted to be. I chose the name Gal VanIZed.

It wasn’t as sexy and violent as everyone else’s derby name but it gave me an inner strength that was lacking in my life.

The name was inspired in part by the song Galvanize by the Chemical Brothers (link goes to iTunes). I sectioned it off into two words so I could have a first and last name: Gal VanIZed.

I loved that my first name meant “woman, girl, female” because I wanted to re-claim my femininity. I liked the word Galvanize because it means “strong, reinforced.”

The more I thought of myself as Gal VanIZed and listened to the words of Galvanize by the Chemical Brothers, the more powerful I felt. Being Galvanized is about not holding back and not caring what other people think. Doing derby and being Galvanized gave me the super-power of inner freedom.

So, for me, even though I was never on a roller derby team, I would have to agree that my roller derby name makes me feel like a super-hero, therefore, I have decided to keep it permanently.

If you’d like to give roller derby a try, there’s a new league forming in Long Beach. E-mail longbeachrollerderby {at} gmail.com for details. If you live closer to Los Angeles and want to check out the L.A. Derby Dolls, try freshmeat [at] derbydolls.com

If roller derby is a little bit out of your league but you want to get Galvanized, get your own Galvanized t-shirt. It’s a way to say, “Yeah, I’m feminine, and I’m strong and I wouldn’t have it any other way”

To read the lyrics and listen to the song Galvanize, go here.

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