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"Crush" introduces us to three compelling, extraordinary women. Kate (Andie MacDowell), Janine (Imelda Staunton), and Molly (Anna Chancellor) are successful women who share one common lament - their lack of love lives. Together they happily engage in a weekly ritual of gin guzzling and men trashing. Their little group is disrupted when Kate begins a passionate romance with a former student (Kenny Doughty) half her age. The romance tests the strength of the female bond and results in a devious attack by the other two members of the unofficial club.

The producers searched in Britain and America while casting the role of Kate. Andie MacDowell expressed an interest in the part, and writer/director John McKay along with with producer Lee Thomas flew to L.A. to meet with her. McKay recalls, "Andie was in tune with the character and felt it was the right role for her at the right time. We needed an actress who could portray a woman who had behaved in a conservative way all her life, but suddenly decides to throw it all off and enjoy herself. Andie is one of the few actors who can seem good and virtuous, and yet you enjoy watching her behave in a naughty way."

ANDIE MACDOWELL (Kate)

Is it a challenge to do independent films? Have you ever been advised to stay mainstream?
No, no one really ever advised me about anything. I have a manager who has been with me forever who's very much like me. She's very artistic and has a great appreciation for European films. I think we were in sync as far as I always wanted to do independent movies.

Will more women or men will see this movie?
I think men will perceive it as a woman's movie. I've been reading a lot of books on men lately and I'm trying to figure it all out. I think they can't help it. It's a thinking movie about issues and they really do like to go to movies, in general - I hate to like put them all in one lump - but they like action movies. They see a movie about a bunch of women and they'll think they won't like it. But [this is] written by a man and I believe that if they go to the movie, they will actually like it. We'll tell them there's lots of sex, that might make them want to go (laughing).

Has your perspective on dealing with sex and sexuality in films changed since doing "Sex, Lies and Videotape?"
Not really because look at [this character], she never takes her damn clothes off except for her back. Big deal, you see my back and maybe an ittie bittie piece of my tata if you look really, really hard - and freeze the frame. So really I haven't done anything. The director knew my reservations going into this. I haven't really changed, I think I've just perfected it. The great thing was I had a lot of control on what happened in the sexy parts. They were my idea; there was nothing that made me uncomfortable.

How have you 'perfected' it?
Like the scene in the car with my legs kicking up, that was my idea. I wanted her to have cotton panties because I thought what was really interesting about this woman was, she didn't dress sexy, but she was sexy. I don't think you have to dress like a sex bomb and be sexy. I think hidden underneath a lot of teachers is a very sexy woman. Because of society's structure, she behaves the way she is supposed to behave. In reality, if you gave her half a chance, she'd be very sexy and have a lot a fun. She's reserved because that's what she has to be. She's a Headmistress. I thought the fact that she wore cotton panties, but yet she's really sexy, was great because there's a reality her. She's a real woman who is dying to have a good time. All the rest of the time she's doing what she's supposed to do. She is going to the school and doing everything just right, and dressing like she's supposed to dress, and behaving correctly and properly. But then she'd love to laugh and take her clothes off and have sex in the back of a Volvo - but what woman wouldn't? At the same time, just the legs are all you see and it looks like you saw skin because you see legs. I had my clothes on. I like that scene.

Then there's the scene in the bedroom when I get up in the bed and I have no clothes on. I turn around to make a phone call and that was actually my idea, too. What happened was, we were working in my character's house and I found a postcard of a Renaissance woman - of her back. It was beautiful and in a mirror, you saw her face. I said to John that I'd love a shot like that. Actually, I think the human body is beautiful. I don't really have a huge problem with nudity. It's in what context the nudity is being done [that affects] how I feel about it.

Kenny Doughty mentioned that he was nervous about the sex scenes and you helped to make him feel more comfortable. How did you help him?
I just had a sense of humor and wasn't serious, and treated him with respect. I made jokes and said, “Oooh, isn't this fun? Okay, here we go - show your bottom.” When we were getting to know each other the first week, I taught him how to shag which is a dance in the South. Of course, shagging means something completely different in England and that made us laugh. It made us touch each other. When you shag, you have to be really loose. It looks like swing but it's like you're drunk and you're doing the swing. Everything is kind of shuffling. It's a partner dance, you hold hands, and it's got some twirling. You're supposed to hold a beer in one hand and hold hands with the other one. It's like loafers and khakis, and old motel music. The thing that is so great about it is it is fun and silly. It's intimate because you have to touch each other. So that's what we started doing, we started shagging.

This script was written by a man and it's about women. What perspective can a man find about women and relationships?
I think all men are different but we are talking about a man who is actually very sensitive and loves women. [He] loves women not as sex objects, but he loves women as emotional, thinking characters. I don't think all men would have that talent nor would all women have that talent to explore a man. I think it's hard to write about another gender and do it really well, but I think he did a really good job.

When I first heard the original title of this film, I said, “I can't be in 'The Sad-F***kers Club' - are you kidding?” My kids would not go for that. Then my manager said, “Just read it,” and so I read it, and she was right. It was sad that they couldn't call it 'The Sad-F***kers Club' because the word didn't sound so bad anymore after you understand the context of these women. They really were that. They deserved to be called that but, of course, we can't call them that. It was true, their existence was pathetic. They got into this really bad rhythm - habit - of being sad and enjoying their sadness.

Are comedic performances as important to you as dramatic ones?
Yes they are because I think it's great to be able to laugh. The truth is, what's so interesting about drama is that life is hard, and it is tough, and we all do suffer. But if we didn't have comedy, then we'd all just be sitting there wallowing in pain. The great thing about comedy is that it takes you out of the pain and makes you laugh. There is nothing better than laughing. I love being able to do both of them.