Garage Days

Pia Miranda admitted in a 2002 interview that she could not blow bubbles from bubble gum. The slow-motion bubble that she blows in the film is computer generated.

Australian director Alex Proyas had received worldwide acclaim for his two previous films 'The Crow' and 'Dark City'. With an eye for the supernatural, Proyas was known for the dark tones of his work and his love of the 1950s 'film noir' visual style. 'Garage Days' was a complete change of direction. Proyas said: "It's always nice to do something different and surprise your audience. I really wanted to make something on a smaller scale that was more character driven and something I could have fun with."

The film re-united cast stars Pia Miranda and Kick Gurry who both were in 'Looking for Alibrandi' (2000). Says Miranda: "Garage days was the first script I'd read in a long time that made me really laugh out loud. I loved all the characters - they were very clearly defined and I was very touched by their story. I play Tanya who is the bass player in the band and the only girl, so she's pretty tough, although she loves the music and that's why she's there. She's a much feistier character than I've played before." Director Alex Proyas said: "I think Pia responded well to her character because it was radically different to anything she'd done before. She really rose to the occasion and did a magnificent job."

Actress Maya Stange was cast to play Kate, the source of Freddy (Kick Gurry)'s musical inspiration. Director Alex Proyas said: "Maya is a great actress. We tested her for all the female roles - I hadn't originally seen her as Kate. But as with many of the cast, Maya really evolved her character taking Kate to another dimension." Stange said: "I loved that this was an ensemble piece and yet all the characters have their own little stories within the film. And it's got a wacky kind of quality, which is Alex's vision...he doesn't do romantic comedy quite like anyone else! My character Kate is a pretty funky chick which is great because in the past I've played far more serious characters."

A member of an experimental keyboard group that was, by his own description, "truly awful", director Alex Proyas began making video clips for friends who were in bands in the early 1980s. Before long, he was directing video clips for INXS and Crowded House amongst others. This gave him a real insight into the world of rock and roll. He said: "But I was an objective outsider, so I could sit back and watch all the madness. I always thought it was a very exciting, very fascinating world." This time in Proyas' life became the inspiration for 'Garage Days'. He added: "A lot of different factors came together in my mind as a possibility for a film, but I always thought the most interesting aspect would be a young band in their very early days when they're trying to get a manager or record company."