Q&A: Actress Elizabeth Shue

| Print Post This | Like (0) | Comments (1)

BACK BEFORE Elizabeth Shue had any "Adventures in Babysitting," she was dealing with a daunting challenge in real life: being a girl playing on all-boys soccer teams growing up in the 1970s.

Her brother Andrew Shue (who played for the L.A. Galaxy long before Becks made it cool) was inspired by her experiences to develop the movie "Gracie," opening Friday, about a girl fighting to — you got it — play on an all-boys soccer team in the 1970s. Elizabeth Shue plays Gracie's mom, but she's training just as hard as she did 30 years ago.

» EXPRESS: Rumor has it you're training to become a tennis star. True?
» SHUE: It's my personal goal to play at the very lowest level of professional tennis. I didn't mean for this to be out in the world, but somehow it is. The movie had an effect on my need to pursue athletic challenges. The reactions have been split — some people are inspired that someone in their 40s wants to try this, and other people have made fun of me. I was almost wondering if I should quit. But, like Gracie, I'm going to fight.

» EXPRESS: So, how do you make this happen?
» SHUE: I'm training hard for about two hours a day with a good coach. The cardio part is very intense and then I get down on the floor and do my push-ups. It's been a lot of lunges and the strengthening of my calves. And being a mother of three and having a career, I have to do most of it just before I go to sleep. As women, we doubt our talent as athletes. The idea that someone "throws like a girl" has angered and motivated me my entire life. When someone throws like that, it means they've never been taught. I want to break through and see what my body can do. I quit soccer when I was 14, and I switched to gymnastics in high school, but I've never really pushed myself.

» EXPRESS: Any training tips?
» SHUE: I've learned that the core is very important. The power in tennis all comes from the hips and core, so I spend a lot of time on the floor doing side sit-ups. It also helps how you carry yourself. And doing this helps my head, too. Exercise creates endorphins, so I get depressed if I haven't worked out in a few days. The best thing is that you have a goal, you set it and you can get there. The goal probably can't be to play at Wimbledon, but if you work hard and commit to excellence, you'll get there. The rest of life can be very confusing, and exercise counterbalances that.

» EXPRESS: How tough was it to compete on all-boys teams?
» SHUE: I never wanted someone to say, "You're good, for a girl." So, I played hard every minute of every game. Usually, I would slide-tackle people immediately to establish my turf. But when I started developing into a woman, I cared more about what people thought of me, and so I didn't push to be on the team in high school. I wish I would have stuck with it. The coach thought I would be the first girl on the team. So this movie is a little fairy tale for me of what I could have done.

» EXPRESS: But it sounds like you had more support than Gracie gets.
» SHUE: Yes, although the first day I showed up at the field to try out for my first all-boys soccer team, one kid grabbed my ball and said, "Girls don't play soccer."

» EXPRESS: And then you beat him up?
» SHUE: I wish. I cried and ran off the field, but my dad walked me back out.

» EXPRESS: So, you showed that kid that girls do play soccer, right?
» SHUE: I did. Every time I watch, I realize how soccer plays to women's talents — finesse, incredible teamwork, endurance.

» EXPRESS: What do you hope people do after seeing this movie?
» SHUE: I hope they get down on the floor and do push-ups right there in the theater. I never think of it as a sports movie. I hope for girls — and boys — that it gives them that sense of equality and empowerment, that fierce, never-holding-back attitude toward their life. I feel like I've just gotten there at 40.

Photo by Carlo Allegri/Getty Images