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Drew Barrymore Boasts about Michigan Film Experience
by Lisa Diggs
Scores of people lined up outside a roller-rink isn’t a site most of us have seen since the 1970s, if ever, let alone people camping out to get in, but that was the scene in Farmington Hills on a unique September afternoon.
The attraction wasn’t just an opportunity to roller skate with friends and family, but with a bona fide Hollywood star. Drew Barrymore, actor turned filmmaker, recently returned to Metro Detroit to celebrate the completion of her directorial debut, Whip It, the story of a rebellious young woman who trades in beauty pageants for roller derby.
The trip to Michigan didn’t just mark another stop on a promotional tour, it was an opportunity for Barrymore to thank this community for the gracious welcome she and her crew received as they shot scenes throughout the state including Ann Arbor, Detroit, Ferndale, Novi, Royal Oak, Saline, Troy and Ypsilanti.
Excited fans started lining up with sleeping bags outside the Bona Venture Family Skating Center as early as 6:00 PM the night before. The event, promoted by local radio station Channel 955, was free and open to the first 955 arrivals. By 3:30 the next afternoon, well before Barrymore’s arrival, the party was in full force.
The crowd was amazingly diverse from pint-sized skaters to retirees, many eager to show off their expertise, while others wobbled unsteadily. Some tried to rekindle old techniques, others tried to discover a new sport, and some wisely stayed seated and looked on. The music was blasting, the crowd was upbeat, and people were clearly having a great time together.
Michael Jackson’s You Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin’ kicked in and screams let out. A delighted tween skater cruised by while on her cell phone, blurting out “Mom, I gotta go, they’re playing Michael Jackson. I have to call you back.”
The energy was palpable, and so was the pride. People did not just come out to get a glimpse of a movie star, they came to be a small part of this exciting new industry and to celebrate it. Many donned t-shirts representing their town, their school, Michigan, or Detroit. (My personal favorite simply read, “Shut Up, Skate, Detroit.”)
Michiganders relish the opportunity to share what they love about this state, and while the news media too often makes that virtually impossible, Hollywood may be providing the alternative outlet that people have been thirsting for. In this case, they were not to be disappointed.
By 4:40 PM, skaters and onlookers all took to the floor to create a giant dance line to welcome the guest of honor. Barrymore entered through a back door, amid a flurry of flashbulbs, and made her way to the center of the crowd. Local DJ, Mojo in the Morning gave an official welcome and turned the microphone over to the petite star.
"First of all, I LOVE this state!" she exclaimed to the crowd’s delight. “It was a miracle that I got to make my film here.” But it wasn’t a miracle that brought Barrymore to Michigan to make her dream a reality, it was the state’s burgeoning movie-making industry, sparked by the most competitive tax incentives in the nation.
The financial advantages, coupled with Michigan’s growing pool of talent both on and off camera, is giving local businesses and individuals opportunities that they barely dreamed of before.
Whip It, for example stars Ellen Page (Juno, Smart People) but also features a bevy of locals from the Detroit Derby Girls roller derby league. According to Barrymore, “The Detroit Derby Girls are the stars of the movie. The movie would not be the same without them.”
She went on to say “The people who participated in the movie and the cast and crew were amazing. Everyone is so cool here. I am so lucky to have made my film here.”
The reality is, while luck had little to do with how or why the film was made here, there is no doubt good fortune is coming from this Hollywood rush. Some of it is undoubtedly coming in the form of much needed dollars into our state, and some of it comes in forms much more difficult to quantify.
On this particular September day, it came in the form of one person’s gratitude for the spirit and sincerity of our community. It came as laughter and celebration for people who needed it. It came as free fun for families who are struggling to afford luxuries like entertainment.
Perhaps most important is what we were left with--yet another influential person with a worldwide voice who can spread the word about the beauty of this state and generosity of its people…and if we really are lucky, just maybe, we will all start remembering that too.
Whip It opens Oct. 2, 2009.
User Comments (3)
Just one MORE reason to love Ms. Barrymore!
Nice story, I did listen to Mike Bishop this morning saying the movie industry is not worth the tax cuts and they had to prove this was worth anything. I love this State even though I am a transplant I just wish we had more visionary's!!
So nice to know she thinks so highly of Michigan and the opportunity to film here. However, the people in Lansing want to either eliminate the tax incentives or greatly reduce them, and that would be a tragedy for this state. I don't know what Gov. Granholm and that representative who has been calling for a lessening of the advantages are thinking. This is just getting the film industry off and running. There are people who are planning studios in Flint and I forget the other city. There are students taking college courses in film making. What is going to happen to all of them? Come on, Governor, think! And thank you again, Drew, for the praise.
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