• Interviews

• All
• Music
• Cinema
• TV
• Comic Books

Newcomer Shannon Eagen appears in Whip It.

Oct 02, 2009 Web Exclusive By Chris Tinkham

Michigan native Shannon Eagen has never auditioned in Los Angeles or New York for films, plays or TV shows, yet the young actress, who appears as a beauty pageant contestant in Whip It, has shared scenes with Academy Award nominees Sigourney Weaver, Ellen Page and (winner) Marcia Gay Harden without having to leave her home state.

Last year, as Eagen was finishing her senior year in high school, she was cast in a small role as Weaver’s daughter in the Emmy-nominated Lifetime movie Prayers for Bobby. Shortly thereafter, she landed a plum supporting part in Drew Barrymore’s directorial debut Whip It. Fortuitously for Eagen, both productions were shot in Michigan and sought local talent.

In Whip It, Eagen plays Amber Blythe, a demure, God-loving teen who competes in beauty pageants alongside Ellen Page’s character Bliss Cavendar. Although Eagen’s screen time is brief, the role allows her to appear at the beginning and end of the film, and she’s endearingly memorable in her scenes. In fact, it’s Eagen—not Page or Barrymore—who is seen and heard first in the trailer for Whip It. We spoke to the current University of Michigan student days before Whip It‘s opening.

You open the trailer for Whip It. What was your reaction when you discovered that?

I didn’t think I would be in the trailer at all. My friend saw a clip of it on Entertainment Tonight or something like that. So I was like, “Oh, I better check YouTube.” And then I open it, and the first thing I hear is my voice before they even show anything. So that was a really exciting moment for me. And also a rewarding one because, as someone who had so little experience compared to everyone else in the film, I kind of left it thinking, “They may cut my entire part. They might have thought I was horrible. Who knows?” And that was sort of validation that I wasn’t awful [laughs] that I was good enough to advertise it.

How did you get cast in Whip It?

I did Prayers for Bobby the summer after my senior year [in high school], and that was when I signed with a talent agency here in Michigan. And so, right after I wrapped that, they sent me on an audition for Whip It.

Was the audition for the Amber character specifically?

Yeah, it was just the monologue at the pageant. They ended up changing the character quite a bit, adding more stuff. By the time I was in the film, my portrayal was completely different than at the audition, because I approached it as just a regular pageant girl, but you see in the movie she has a lot more to her than that.

Did you have to prepare a Texas accent for the audition?

My agency did not tell me. And so I researched—I got the book from the librar y—and I found out, yes, it’s set in Texas. So I practiced it both ways. And I asked right before if they wanted me to try and do an accent, and they said that wouldn’t be necessary, which I was happy to hear, ‘cause I’ve never had any training in a Texas drawl or anything, so I just stuck with my regular speaking voice.

At what stage of the production did you meet with Drew Barrymore?

I didn’t meet her until the first day of filming, because, since it was originally such a small part, I didn’t have a callback or anything. So, I went in the first day, and I sat down in the hair and makeup trailer, and she was next to me, and it was a crazy moment, but I’m actually so glad that was how it happened, because she was immediately so sweet to me and so friendly, and that just set me really at ease for the rest of the day, because I knew, “OK, she may be so famous, and has been doing this for her entire life, but she’s not looking down on me. She’s so nice and open to me.”

You’re in a brief scene with all the derby girls. What was that day of shooting like?

That was a really fun scene to film, because, for them, that was the end of their filming; that was one of the last scenes that they did. And so, they were all so close and so relaxed around each other, and everything they did in that scene was completely improv’d. Drew basically said, “Try and mess around with as much stuff as you can, and just be goofy.” So, it was really fun, because it was a very honest reaction to be like, “What are these girls doing in here?!” And they were all really friendly. I did hair and makeup with a bunch of them. Even at craft service, Kristen Wiig talked to me. Everyone was so comfortable with each other and happy to be there, and it was really a great time.

It’s early in your career but already you’ve shared scenes with Sigourney Weaver and Marcia Gay Harden. Did you get star struck at all?

I tried to just completely ignore those feelings, because, really, the only thing that can do is distract me from my performance. So, the way I looked at it is, I just took it as an opportunity to learn from these people. I didn’t think of them as, “Oh, they’re so famous.” I thought of them as, “They have a lot of experience, and they know what they’re doing. I should try and absorb that from them.” Everyone was so friendly and helpful; it was hard to be intimidated by them. Drew Barrymore is such a sweetheart. You cannot be intimidated by her, even though she’s done so much. Everyone, they were all really kind to me. I knew that if I was caught up in me being less than them somehow—because I’m not famous—the only thing that would do is make my performance not be as strong. I tried to get rid of all those feelings. That’s why it’s good that it takes so long before you actually start doing anything, because when you sit in hair and makeup for three hours, and these people are filtering in and out, you get used to them.

When you auditioned for the role, did you know who was attached to the project?

I only knew about Drew and Ellen. I tried to research it online, but at that point, there were just a lot of rumors. So, I found out later in the process that Marcia Gay Harden was playing her mother.

Did you know anything about the pageant world before doing the film?

No, not really. I’ve watched pageants. I’ve seen Toddlers & Tiaras, about the really crazy pageant girls. But I’ve never done pageants. I kind of compared it to when I did community theater and I was little—the really intense stage moms or competitive dancing. That’s the atmosphere I compared it to, that I have experience in, but I’ve never put myself in a pageant. I’m not a pageant girl in real life.

You said that you didn’t meet Drew until your first day on set. So did direction about the character come from anyone, or was that up to you?

When I got the final script, and I read it all the way through, I kind of formed my own idea of Amber. And, as I said, that first day was the monologue, so Drew worked with me on that, about bringing the shy and meek characteristics of Amber to it, that weren’t necessarily in it if you were only going off that monologue and not the entire script. So, she did talk to me about that. This was just, like, in between takes and before. She gave me pretty free rein and then gave a lot of constructive feedback about new things to try. But I got a really good sense of the purpose of Amber’s character just from reading it and just went with what I thought was right for it. And, she didn’t stop me, so—

Is that character anything like you? You being a performer, I imagine that you can’t be too shy.

Yeah, it was kind of a stretch for me because I’m pretty confident, but we all have those people like Corbi—you know, the kind of bitchy girl in the movie—that make you feel bad about yourself. I didn’t get all the lead roles in high school. I didn’t always have the nicest dress at prom, just like Amber doesn’t have the nicest dress in the pageant. So, while I don’t act that way in my everyday life, I definitely have felt similar things to the position that Amber feels. That’s what I tried to bring to it.

When did you become interested in performing, at what age?

I started taking dance when I was three. And, even when I was three, I was in The Nutcracker, and I was a doll, and my family always said that I was the first person on the stage in my group and the last person off. So, from three years old I absolutely loved being on stage. I loved the spotlight, and I didn’t start acting until second grade. I saw my best friend in Peter Pan and I thought, “I can do that. I want to do that.” So, I auditioned, and ever since then I’ve been doing community theater and theater in my high school, and I can dance, so I just love performing of all types.

I read that you were one of five students at your high school to be cast in Prayers for Bobby. Is that right? How did that happen?

Yeah, Prayers for Bobby was one of the first films to get made here with the new Michigan Film Incentives, so the casting director, she knew it was going to be set in a high school, and she actually has a friendship with my high school theater director, so she knew they were going to need high school talent from Michigan. And she thought that his students would be well trained, so he sent basically all the kids who were in the theater program at my high school to audition. None of us had professional headshots or had gone on film auditions before. And, from our high school class, they ended up picking five people to have roles in the film. It’s actually complete luck. And that’s how I got my agency, and that’s how I got cast in Whip It. So, it was all just chance. I haven’t been working to get into films since I was little or anything.

That’s so cool.

Yeah. [Laughs] I’m very, very lucky.

You’ve never come to Los Angeles or New York for any auditions?

Nope. I want to. I’m thinking about going to L.A. next summer. It’s a big commitment, so I want to see what happens with the Michigan film industry over the next year, because if I could work in Michigan, right now, for me, that would be a lot easier. But if I find that I’m not gonna have any opportunities here, I feel like this is the time in my life when I should really be going for it.

Were they looking to cast locals in Whip It?

Yeah, they wanted to use local people. Sarah Habel, who played Corbi, is from Michigan as well. They don’t have a set requirement of how many actors they use from Michigan—that’s just more for crew members—but a lot of the films that come here want to use local talent. All the extras are from Michigan.

Are you in your sophomore year or freshman year at Michigan?

I’m a freshmore. The summer before my freshman year of college is when I filmed Whip It and Prayers for Bobby. I applied for college as a Journalism and Communications Studies major, but after that life-changing summer, and after being at school and not having any theater for the first year, I realized how much I missed it, so I auditioned for the program as a transfer student, and now I’m a freshman in the acting program.

What’s next for you?

I’m training myself at school, focusing a lot on getting as much of my degree done as I can right now, and waiting to see what happens in the summer when I have more time, whether I go to L.A. and try to audition for a bunch of stuff, or whether I get a part in the Michigan area. But I definitely now know more than ever that I want to pursue this, so it’s just a matter of time.

You mentioned that you’re in a play. Which one?

I’m in Hair, the musical. It’s our student-run musical production. They direct it, they cast it, build the set. It’s really exciting. I’m a Tribe for it. I love musical theater. I don’t do it professionally, but it’s really fun.

When does it start?

We had our first read-through yesterday, so we’re just getting started.

You told me that you went to Lollapalooza this summer. Have you seen any other shows recently? Who are some of your favorite bands?

Well, I kind of blew my concert budget on Lolla, and now I’m saving up for Rothbury for next summer. But my favorite bands at Lolla were probably of Montreal and Passion Pit, just because the energy they brought was absolutely incredible and their music is so unique. Then, on a more chill side, I love Belle & Sebastian and The Shins. And I’ve never been able to see either of them, but I would absolutely love to.

We’re doing something with Kevin Barnes in our next issue. He’s interviewing Hall & Oates.

Oh my God! Cool.

I’m assuming that you’ve seen Whip It, but I don’t know.

Yes, actually Drew Barrymore came to campus and did an advance screening. So I got to see it and I got to see her again and talk to her about the movie. And I went to a roller derby event that she had created and hung out there.

Do you go to any football games?

No. [Laughs] I’m like the one UM student who doesn’t go to football games. I don’t like football. [Laughs]

I’m a big college football fan, so I always ask that question of students or alums of big football schools. And you’re not the only one. There are plenty of people who aren’t interested in their schools’ football teams.

Yeah, I didn’t buy tickets last year. And our team was horrible, so I figured why bother this year. And, of course, we’ve been winning every game, so I guess I should’ve. [Laughs]

You have to have the Big House experience at least once before you graduate.

I have gone to a football game. I went to the Michigan St. game last year, and we lost, and it was raining and freezing. So it wasn’t a very encouraging experience.

I’m sorry to hear that. Hopefully there will be a better one down the road.

Yes, hopefully we’ll win this Saturday against MSU.

Maybe you’ll go to the Rose Bowl and you can come out to Pasadena in January.

Maybe. I’d love that. Any chance to go to L.A. and California.

www.whip-it.net