When Chris Cole is chosen as Steel Dragon's lead singer, he is transformed from a small-town nobody into an instant icon; it all seems way too good to be true. The perks of his sudden hard-rock stardom — the screaming fans, sexy groupies, expensive toys and wild parties — are more than he could have ever imagined.
Chris performs night after night to packed houses, singing the crowd-pleasing Steel Dragon standards. But he begins to realize that something is missing from his dream- come-true; there's no room in his new universe for the people who made it possible for him to get there in the first place — his parents, his buddies back home, and especially Emily, Chris' girlfriend and manager of his tribute band, who finds herself increasingly lost in the backstage crowd.
Jennifer Aniston portrays Emily, whose faith in Chris gives way to disillusionment as she watches his rise to rock stardom. "Emily is kind of the mother hen to Chris and the rest of the band, always being supportive and taking care of everybody," says Aniston of her character. "There's a very human, real and caring relationship between Emily and Chris — they truly love each other, and she understands what he's got to do to fulfill his dream. But as his dream comes true, at a certain point there's no place for her in his new world."
"Jennifer is a very accomplished actress, and there are few people who possess her innate comic timing," says Stephen Herek of Aniston. "She brings a special warmth and depth to the character of Emily. and I think audiences will really be able to feel for her as she takes off with Chris on his rags-to-riches journey."
When Emily leaves to find a life of her own and Chris' attempts at lending his own musical ideas to the Steel Dragon mix are rebuffed, Chris begins to feel lost in his new life.
"Chris gets sucked into his new world a bit, and begins to treat people differently, particularly Emily," notes Herek. "But as the story progresses, he realizes that he already had a lot of what he needed in his life before he became a rock star. During his journey in this film, he becomes more of an individualist, trusting his own creative muse rather than trying to be someone else."
"One of the important themes of this film is the metaphor of 'finding your own voice,' which is universal in all of us," observes producer Robert Lawrence. "It's very easy to be an impersonator, to say someone else's lines — but to express yourself from your soul and reveal who you really are, that transcends rock and roll. That is the journey Chris' character must make."
With the characters of Chris and Emily cast, the filmmakers were charged with the task of finding authentic performers to portray the members of the tribute band Blood Pollution and metal legends Steel Dragon. They felt it was essential to include actual musicians in both bands.
"In the various films about rock and roll I've seen over the years. invariably there are actors portraying musicians," explains director Stephen Herek. "There always seems to be a certain edge and validity that's missing from their performances."
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