Drew Barrymore whipped the cast into shape for her directorial debut ‘Whip It,’ set to screen at the Toronto International Film Festival.

Juliette Lewis told MTV News that Barrymore ran a two-month-long boot camp in preparation for the film, during which the film’s stars, Lewis, Ellen Page, Kristen Wiig and Barrymore would wake up in the morning, do yoga, strength-train for two hours then go roller skating until nightfall. The result was a lot of bruises and some strong female camaraderie.

“We all felt like action heroes!” said the actress and singer.

‘Whip It,’ based on the Shauna Cross novel ‘Derby Girl,’ tells the story of Bliss Cavendar, a Texas small-town wannabe tomboy teen (Page). Pushed by her former-debutante mother (Marcia Gay Harden) to compete in beauty pageants, Bliss joins a roller derby team to escape the pressures/doldrums and discovers an undergound punk rock world. She soon finds herself leading a double life. Wiig and Barrymore are her teammates Malice in Wonderland and Smashley Simpson, while Lewis is the antagonistic nemesis/rival team captain, Iron Maven.

The story is a fictionalized autobiographical account by author and screenwriter Shauna Cross, who skated for the Texas Rollergirls.

Juliette Lewis told MTV that female roller derby culture is “a bit of wrestler culture, rock-and-roll culture, band culture and sports, because they’re all incredible athletes.”

Lewis, who has been away from Hollywood concentrating on her music career with her rock band Juliette and the Licks, speaks highly of Barrymore’s professionalism and vision, telling MTV, “She was so visually prepared.

“You can talk about scenes and emotion and acting crap all day, but at the end of the day, you have to shoot the shot. She knew what she wanted cinematically.”

(Photo by PR Photos)