Carly Schroeder Scores as Gracie
Former Lizzie McGuire Cast Member Stars in New Sports Drama
Schroeder, who is best known for her work on the Disney Channel series "Lizzie McGuire," talks about playing a character that's loosely based on actress Elisabeth Shue.
Though she didn't use things from her own life to shape her character in the new sports drama "Gracie," actress Carly Schroeder said she is very similar to the character.
"We both have the same type of drive; we both are very competitive. I used to do wrestling and I'd beat all the boys all the way up to (age) 18. I was the only girl in the wrestling club," Schroeder said during an interview at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Clayton, MO.
Based on events in the lives of Elisabeth Shue ("Leaving Las Vegas"), her brother Andrew ("Melrose Place") and their family, "Gracie" tells the story of one girl's attempts to become a member of an all-boy's soccer team in 1978.
Schroeder, best known for her work on the television series "Lizzie McGuire," plays Grace Bowen, a New Jersey girl who, though she has a real talent for the game, is virtually ignored by her father (Dermot Mulroney). He'd rather focus his efforts on helping his sons, especially his beloved boy Johnny (Jesse Lee Soffer), achieve greatness on the soccer field.
After Johnny is killed in a road accident, Gracie sets out to take his place on the team. She has to prove that she's good enough to the coach, the rest of the team and especially her demanding father.
While shooting the film in New Jersey, Schroeder said that she and the inspiration for her character, Elisabeth Shue, had a "girl's night."
"Basically, she took me to the pizza parlor where she loved to eat her pizza and the first soccer field where she played soccer. She took me to a little tree house where she used to play and the first house she lived in," Schroeder said. "And then she told me 'little girl' stories about what she did for fun and her friends, some of the more important things that were true to her life. I definitely added some of her characteristics."
Like Gracie, Schroeder considers herself to be a very competitive person.
"When guys tell me I can't wrestle because I am a girl, I jump on their back, get them in a choke hold and they are out. As soon as I do something and decide to do something, I fully commit myself to it. I won't stop until I've reached my goal," she said.
That determination and drive helped Schroeder prepare for the physical demands of the film.
"I ran with my friend to our high school and we ran around the track. We probably ran about three miles every day to try and build up endurance. I also did weight training, which was absolutely incredible because I got so strong and my body physically changed," she said.
"I gave up French fries, which was a teenager's worst nightmare."
"Gracie," rated PG-13 for brief sexual content, is scheduled to open nationwide on Friday, June 1.
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