Shues on the other foot
A talk with Andrew & Elisabeth Shue and Carly Schroeder of Gracie
Interview by Gregory Johnson

“When I grow up, I would like to play soccer. Many girls are afraid to play sports with boys. But after you score a few goals, you feel a lot better.” –Elisabeth Shue, Grade 6

This week’s sports drama, Gracie, based around events of Hollywood’s real-life Shue family, is the inspirational story of Grace Bowen, played with steadfast determination by then-15-year-old Carly Schroeder. Grace wants to play soccer — on the boy’s team — after the tragic loss of her eldest brother.

“The heart of the story was one I’ve wanted to tell for about ten years,” says producer/co-star Andrew Shue. “In the beginning, I wanted to tell a story that paid tribute to our older brother Will and used our family sport as a backdrop. The story came into focus, however, when I enlisted [story writer/director] Davis [Guggenheim] and my sister Elisabeth to help.”

“The great thing about this project is that our whole family’s involved,” says Andrew, who was among a minority of male influences in a film that champions female empowerment. “It really is a dream to be able to work with my sister and work with [her husband] Davis and work with my brother John, who was instrumental in helping us solve all the financial issues we faced. We didn’t set out for it to be a [Shue] family movie, but then as it started to happen, it was clear that we all needed to be involved.”

“I think the best thing for me,” says Schroeder, now 16, “is to pick a movie that is very inspirational to girls, because it seems like in Hollywood nowadays, there’s not really a lot of good role models for girls my age.”

“We looked at so many people for this part,” says Oscar-nominated co-star and producer Elisabeth Shue. “We did see some amazing actresses, but there was something about Carly that was so unique. She has a strong, willful spirit and her fierceness is so visceral and raw with a real need to prove herself, which I think is so much Gracie.”

Both successful athletes from a young age, Andrew and Elisabeth strongly felt the need to address an issue they find intolerable in youth athletics.

“When you’re growing up,” says Elisabeth, “because your proving ground is athletics, the first thing I remember hearing that always got under my skin was someone saying, ‘Oh, he throws like a girl,’ and that is so untrue because they throw like they’ve never been taught to throw. As a young girl, you hear that, as if you’re not as good, just for the fact that you are female. I hope that our culture slowly but surely starts to change that perception, because it’s untrue.”

“I’ve learned a lot from this one here,” Andrew notes, nodding to Elisabeth, “we’re so lucky that we had a sister. I think boys need to understand just what makes girls tick and how they’re different and how much they’re the same.”

“I think boys can see a bit of themselves in Gracie sometimes,” adds Elisabeth. “Really, it’s just a story of someone who overcomes great obstacles and who manages to achieve something that is very difficult to achieve.”

“It’s been just a great, great journey,” says Andrew. “We feel that we’ve had some angels looking out for us, for sure. I think in a way it does seem fitting – the story [in the film] itself does mirror the journey when we thought we couldn’t do it or it wouldn’t happen and you just have to keep persevering and somehow, someway, we’ve ended up with something we’re all proud of. We feel that we’ve done right by our brother and by telling my sister’s story of that girl who’s in an all-boy’s world trying to be noticed and trying to find her self-worth, and Carly brought that to life in an amazing way.”

Carly Schroeder has a message, too — a message for her fans, which have been increasing in number since her season-long stint on Disney’s “Lizzie McGuire” in 2002.

“You can do anything!” she says, enthusiastically.

Hopefully, these words will resonate and inspire audiences to continue to strive for excellence in athletics and in life. Projects such as this serve to reinforce the idea that our differences are only skin deep and, hopefully, that we can continue to grow past them…and live in a perpetual state of Gracie.•••