Melbourne, October 8 Drew Barrymore has revealed that her directorial debut 'Whip It' is based on personal life.

The actress-producer turned first time director with the film based on the novel and screenplay of Shauna Cross, a roller derby star in Los Angeles.

"I wasn't willing to direct until I could find something that I could really make personal, so everything that I put into this movie is personal," News.com.au quoted her as saying.

The child star, who plays the role of teammate Smashley Simpson in the movie, dug into her own past of teen rebellion although 'Whip It' was said to be no bio-pic.

Barrymore divorced her mother in court at 15 so that she could handle her own decisions as a legal adult.

She said: "I have been to hell and back with my own mother so there's a lot of authentic emotion there to really make it personal as opposed to just trying to tell a Hollywood story. I really wanted to emotionally invest in this." (ANI)