More of this Feature ADDITIONAL INTERVIEWS: • Kate Bosworth ('Anne Marie') • Michelle Rodriguez ('Eden') • Sanoe Lake ('Lena') • Matthew Davis ('Matt'] • Director John Stockwell • Mika Boorem ('Penny') and Faizon Love ('Leslie') • Chris Taloa ('Drew') • Kala Alexander ('Kala') ADDITIONAL "Blue Crush" INFORMATION: • Photos from the Premiere of "Blue Crush" • "Blue Crush" News, Trailer, and Websites • "Blue Crush" Production Photos

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Screenwriter Lizzy Weiss put her heart into this film, and went beyond the call of duty while doing research. Besides immersing herself in Hawaii's surfer subculture, Weiss took surf lessons and met with the top women surfers in the world. Weiss also met with the girls behind the "Outside" magazine article that inspired the film.

LIZZY WEISS

Can you tell me what it was like working on writing this film?
It is a dream come true. We worked on it for a really long time. It's inspired from an article in “Outside” magazine about girls who grew up surfing in Maui. I just sort of took it from there and weaved the story. John Stockwell, the director, came on and we wrote a bunch of drafts together. We spent a lot of time in Hawaii talking to real surfers and came out with this.

Do you feel it captures the spirit of surfers?
I think we have absolutely heard such positive feedback from surfers, from the Hawaii community, saying that it is absolutely authentic. The texture is real and it feels like Hawaii, feels like surfers. We worked hard to make it feel authentic.

Is it difficult to write with a collaborator?
No. John and I had worked together on “crazy/beautiful” so we had our relationship down. I felt like a team with him from the start because we'd worked together before.

And “crazy/beautiful” is another teen/female movie.
But very different (laughing), very different. It's a lot more dramatic experience and is solemn in a way. Kirsten [Dunst] did a fabulous job. This is a lot more of a popcorn movie. There's a heart and soul to it but there's a lot more cheering at the end. I'm happy to have done two drastically different things.

What's the message behind “Blue Crush?” I've been hearing a lot about 'girl empowerment.' Do you think that's the message?
Yes, I do. I think that these girls are beautiful and sexy and fall in love and they are totally girls in every way. They are not just tomboys, if that word even makes sense anymore. They are a new breed of athlete - I think that's the way we like to think of it.

What's next for you?
I'm doing something for Paramount called “The Glass Ceiling” about women in the workplace. Another movie about women (laughing). I'm dying to write about men.