Scandalous teenage all-girl 70s rock band The Runaways is the subject of two new movies - a drama starring Twilight's Kristen Stewart and a doco by one of its former members. Michele Manelis and Scott Kara report.
Think American pop gals of the 70s and it might bring to mind the beaming smiles of Charlie's Angels or The Brady Bunch sisters.
But there was a gritty rock 'n' roll flipside to all that. Exhibit A? Leather-clad tough broad Suzi Quatro. Exhibit B? The Runaways, the all-girl rock 'n' roll group which lauched the career of Joan Jett and now is the subject of a feature film starring two of the darlings of the Twilight saga - Kristen Stewart (as Jett) and Dakota Fanning (as lead singer Cherie Currie).
The saga chronicles the band's short ride to stardom and back. Stewart and Fanning deliver the kind of layered performances not yet witnessed in any of their previous movies.
Today the two rockers and the young actresses who play them are out in force at a Beverly Hills Hotel.
Jett, just shy of 52, looks remarkably youthful, and is still dressed in black leather pants, numerous silver chains, a white tank top revealing an incredibly sinewy, trim body adorned with tattoos.
"Making the movie was a surreal experience. Just the fact that they made it at all," she says, shaking her head. "It's a true story about this band that I was so passionate about and I really felt that we were doing something important, in that we were good. So, I'm glad that there's a movie out," she says.
Jett serves as executive producer on the project which took many years to come to fruition. But it wasn't without its conflicts. Guitarist Lita Ford, who went on to forge her own rock career, didn't support the film.
Concurs Jett, "Lita didn't want anything to do with it. Sandy West, our drummer signed on to it, but she passed away before the project began. And I'm not sure what Jackie's [Fox] response was," she says. "I don't think it makes anyone look bad, so I don't understand it." Due to Fox's refusal to allow her likeness to be used in the movie, the role of the bass player - the band went through half a dozen in its time - was fictional.
Director Floria Sigismondi used her experience from previous music documentaries (David Bowie, Sheryl Crowe) to full advantage.
From the detailed set design, to the mood, she gives the audience an authentic trip through the memories of Jett and Currie, which, as you can imagine, don't always paint a pretty picture. Set to a backdrop of pivotal music from Bowie, the Stooges, and The Sex Pistols, it enhances the you-are-there feel.
But cast was key in order for this biopic to work.
Says Jett of Stewart, "Casting Kristen was obviously incredibly important. I didn't have much input into this area but I explained that it was really important to get teenagers playing these roles because teenage energy is obviously specific. Once you get into your 20s, you're still young, but it's a different thing. So that was really my only suggestion. I had no preconceived notions about Kristen or the Twilight stuff. Once I met her, I felt very secure that she was going to be able to handle it."
The two got along famously from the moment they met. "We have a similar energy," says Jett, who similarly comes as across as a celebrity who shuns the public eye, despite her chosen profession. Jett brushes off the notion of her iconic status as a pioneer of sorts. "I don't see it like that. That would be too conceited," she says.
Stewart equally enjoyed working with Jett. "I was really sad when the movie was over. I just loved doing it so much." In fact, she is still sporting the famed black spiky hairdo she does in the movie several months after it wrapped. Fanning also took this role to heart. "It was like I had to detox from it all when it ended. It was one of the first times that I've actually been sad for three weeks after it," she says, laughing. "So, I just keep listening to The Runaways and pretend that I'm still filming."
Jett was an invaluable behind-the-scenes asset on set. "I was there as a resource. From details about the clothes, to the makeup, any little thing. I was a tool for Kristen but I stayed out of her eye-line while she was filming. I was careful to get out of her way but I was there when she needed me to be," she says.
Despite the rayon, and electric blue eye shadow, Stewart says of the era she was portraying, "I've always felt nostalgic for the seventies even though I obviously wasn't there. A lot happened and it was a good time for change. I always think what it would be like to live back then and it was cool to do the movie because of that."
The other standout performance was the portrayal of the flamboyant band manager/svengali Kim Fowley, played by Michael Shannon (Revolutionary Road). He also loved the experience, "What a wild guy," he says of the famed producer. "It was a blast playing him."
Says Fanning, "I met the real Kim Fowley the first time I met Cherie. It was a bit overwhelming," she laughs. Currie says, "Kim always liked to push the envelope and he still does. He was great at selling ice to Eskimos and that talent doesn't go away."
Due to the nature of the story of these four young girls, Fanning who evokes an innocence-run-amok, was required to play against type. She pranced around in lingerie, took drugs and participated in sexual situations, including a scene with Stewart.
Naturally, much ado has been made of the kissing scene between the two leading ladies. Says Fanning, "It really was not that big of a deal." Stewart adds, "In the movie it's not focused on and it's just something that happens between friends. It's also vague. They don't even talk about it. It's not like it was a relationship."
Says Currie of the final edit, "You have to remember it's based on the book I wrote, so of course the first time I saw the movie I looked at what was missing. I think that's human nature. That's my life there up on the screen and of course they can't get everything in that I'd like them to, but when it comes to Dakota playing me ... I was blown away. I honestly think she's the best actress I've ever seen. Seriously, she really pulled it off. I couldn't believe how great she was."
Jett sums it up, "The movie captures the sense of what it felt like to be in the band. Both the joyous parts and the parts that were really depressing. But that was how it was. It's portrayed as realistically as possible."
LOWDOWN
What: The Runaways starring Kristen Stewart and Dakota Fanning
Where and when: Opens at cinemas on Thursday
- TimeOut
