Drew Barrymore

Drew Blythe Barrymore was born February 22nd, 1975 in Culver City, California. Drew was born to a long line of actors with her great-grandparents, her grandparents and her father and mother all being in the entertainment industry. Her father, John Barrymore was an accomplished actor having starred in television series’ in America and Europe. He was already father to three other children from a previous relationship and went on to have a strained relationship with Drew. Her mother, Jaid Barrymore, was an aspiring actress who began life as a refugee in a displacement camp in West Germany as a result of World War II. Her relationship with her mother was also a complicated one. Drew’s father walked out on Jaid while she was still pregnant with Drew and she struggled to parent on her own. Drew has said her mother was selfish and didn’t know how to control her. Drew has fond memories of growing up in West California, an area that she says “was so open-minded and open-hearted and set her up for success in life.” She says it “taught her to accept people and care about them and love them for who they [are]”.Entering HollywoodIn 1980, Drew followed in the footsteps of her ancestors and entered the entertainment industry with a role in the film ‘Altered States’. Then, at seven years old, she was cast in Stephen Spielberg's film E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial. The film was a huge success and catapulted a young Drew into the spotlight. She went on to star in films ‘Firestarter’, ' Irreconcilable Differences’ and ‘Far from Home’. She further captured the hearts of audiences with appearances on late night talk shows including The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson. It appeared that Drew was living a lavish life of success but behind the scenes her life was beginning to fall apart.Child party girlAt 8 years old, Drew had her first taste of alcohol when she and her mother Jaid attended a wrap party for her film ‘Firestarter’. Her mother left Drew to her own devices and while she wasn’t watching, a couple of crew members allowed Drew to drink two glasses of champagne. In a 1990 interview with Oprah Drew said she enjoyed the feeling of being tipsy. “I felt so good. All my problems had seemed to disappear for that hour that I was out of it.” Unbeknown to her mother Drew would continue to drink casually at Hollywood parties. At the age of 10 she started smoking marijuana and by age 12 she’d progressed to harder substances including cocaine.

Image from thedrewseum.com

It was when Drew was 13 that Jaid discovered her daughter had become a drug addict. Unsure how to handle the situation, she committed Drew to Van Nuys Psychiatric Hospital where she was treated for her drug and alcohol addiction. She was in the facility for 18 months and the treatment there was harsh. Drew told Howard Stern “You couldn’t mess around in there and if you did, you would get thrown either in a padded room or get put in stretcher restraints, and tied up.”

In reflecting on this time in her life, Drew has come to forgive her mother, understanding that she was out of control and her mother didn’t know what else to do. However, at the time she resented her mother and so at the age of 14, Drew became emancipated from her mother. She lived by herself in an apartment and was no longer required to attend school. As a way of gaining knowledge she would frequent a book store close to her apartment and read as much as she could.

Back on Track

As Drew was learning to fend for herself, her film and television roles also became more mature. She played the part of the seductive teen in films like Poison Ivy and The Amy Fischer Story as well as Bad Girls and Boys on the Side.

As a teen, she was infamously interviewed on the David Letterman show when she got on the desk and danced for him for his birthday. In an innocent moment of spontaneity, Drew lifted her shirt and flashed a visibly stunned David. Although a shocking moment on television, David and Drew would develop a genuine friendship with one another and she went on to be a guest on his show 20 times.

The late 90s saw Drew begin to establish herself as a romantic lead in films like Ever After, The Wedding Singer and Never Been Kissed. The wedding Singer was particularly successful and started a long working relationship with co star Adam Sandler. They would go on to star in two more romantic comedies together; the popular 50 First Dates and the endearing Blended. Drew has expressed her desire to work with Sandler again as the two have formed a close friendship off screen. Drew also starred as the romantic lead in films ‘Going the Distance’ with Justin Long and ‘Music and Lyrics’ with Hugh Grant.

She took a step behind the camera in 1999 with the development of production company Flower Films. The company's first film was Never Been Kissed with Drew as Executive Producer. She then produced and starred in Charlie’s Angels alongside Cameron Diaz and Lucy Liu. The film and subsequent sequel would go on to be one of Drew’s most profitable projects earning over $523 million dollars worldwide. She also produced Donnie Darko starring Jake Gyllenhale, The Perfect Catch with Jimmy Fallon (originally titled Fever Pitch) and He’s Just Not That into You with an assemble cast. In 2009 Drew directed her first film ‘Whip It’. Her only other directorial work is for a television movie and music video for Best Coast; Our Deal. Stephen Spielberg has said that Drew is an incredible director and believes she should do more work in this field.

More recently Drew has worked in television with the lead role in Netflix series Santa Clarita Diet where she played Sheila Hammond, a real estate agent who begins her transformation into a zombie. In 2020 she debuted her own daytime talk show The Drew Barrymore show in which she interviews celebrities and social media sensations, shares cooking and lifestyle tips and presents human-interest stories.

Drew’s professional career has been undeniably successful but she’s often made headlines for more than just her work. Drew’s love life has been as varied as her films with two engagements, three marriages, and countless high profile romances.

Drew’s first relationship in the public eye was with actor Corey Feldman when she was just 14 years old and he was 18. Although they were seen together on the red carpet of the Oscars, the pair actually only dated for a few months. She had relationships with Balthazar Getty and David Arquette before moving on to Leland Hayward III with whom she was engaged. The engagement only lasted a few months and a year later she was engaged to Jamie Walters. That engagement was called off the following year. Given she was only 16 and 17 years old respectively, it’s not surprising these engagements didn’t actually result in marriage.

Her first marriage was in 1993 to Welsh born LA bar owner Jeremy Tomas. However, Drew filed for divorce only a few months later. She then dated Edward Norton and Luke Wilson. Drew later confessed that she and Luke were in an open relationship and were just “young and having fun”.

In 1999 Drew met actor and comedian Tom Green and the pair wed in 2001. She understood and enjoyed his sense of humour and the couple would appear in many of each other's films. During their relationship, Tom was diagnosed with testicular cancer. Drew stood by his side throughout his treatment and subsequent recovery. Just a few months into their marriage, Green filed for divorce citing irreconcilable differences. Drew admits that when they were married she was terrible at managing herself and didn’t know how to handle her personal life.

Soon after her divorce from Green, Drew met Fabrizio Moretti who was the drummer for The Strokes. They began a long term relationship which lasted from 2002-2007. They were never engaged nor married.

In 2007 she began a relationship with Justin Long, whom she co starred with in ‘Going the Distance’. They had an on/off relationship before breaking up officially in 2010. She had an emotional reunion with Justin on her talk show where they expressed their mutual love and respect for one another.

In 2011 she met art director Will Kopelman and the pair began dating. They wed in 2012 and welcomed their first daughter Olive the same year. Their second daughter, Frankie, was born two years later in 2014. In 2016 the couple announced their separation and finalised their divorce in August of the same year.

Flower Beauty

Drew is also a savvy business woman with her brand Flower by Drew. In 2013 Drew launched Flower Beauty, a make-up line that prides itself on being cruelty free and vegan. The actress was inspired to create the beauty line after spending hours and hours with make-up artists as part of her work. She has since expanded the company to include Flower Hair tools, Flower Home, Flower eyewear, and more recently a cookware line called Beautiful by Drew. She has released a cookbook with chef Pilar Valdes titled ‘Rebel Homemaker’ as well as her magazine Drew magazine which is released 4 times a year and shares lifestyle and beauty tips as well as information on food and travel. It’s safe to say she is one busy woman!

Steven Spielberg

Spielberg first met Drew when she auditioned for his film ‘Poltergeist’. She didn’t get that part but Spielberg instinctively knew she was right for the role of Gertie in E.T. Spielberg would continue to play a huge role in Drew’s life. He became her Godfather and without her actual father in her life, she looked to Steven to fulfil that role. Looking back on their relationship, Drew says she learnt a lot about parenthood from him and he feels as though she was his “training wheels for fatherhood”. She says he was the first adult to really set boundaries for her when she was a child as her mother treated her more like a friend. When Drew posed nude for Playboy magazine in 1995, Spielberg sent her a quilt with a note that said ‘cover up’ and altered versions of the pictures in which she had clothes on.

Famous Friends

Many of Drew’s co-stars have become lifelong friends to Drew. Jimmy Fallon first met Drew when she hosted on Saturday Night Live. He then starred in RomCom Fever Pitch with her and has interviewed her several times on the Tonight Show. He says “no matter who you are she makes you feel like the most important person in the room.”

She has remained close friends with co-star Adam Sandler after starring in three projects together. Sandler credits Drew with his success in subsequent romantic comedies as he said "Drew liking me made it seem like girls were allowed to like me in movies."

Her Charlie’s Angels co-stars Cameron Diaz and Lucy Liu also became close friends. She affectionately calls Diaz ‘Poo Poo’ while Diaz says being her friend is “one of the great joys of her life”.

She is also close friends with fellow actress Reece Witherspoon whom she met at a restaurant when the pair were still teenagers. Reece had looked up to Drew for a long time when Drew approached her at a restaurant to praise the work she had done in her recent film. They both speak highly of each other with Witherspoon saying Drew is ‘one of the world’s best humans’ and Drew describing Witherspoon as ‘a great woman, a great mother and a great friend.’

Saturday Night Live

Drew was the youngest person to host Saturday Night Live when she was just seven years old. She has since hosted another 5 times. She and Tina Fey hold the title for the most times a woman has hosted with each having had the honour 6 times. They have both frequently returned for skits involving the “5 timers club” for guests who have hosted at least 5 times. Drew herself has been imitated several times by several different actresses on SNL including Kristen Wiig and Chloe Fineman.

`

Drew barrymore’s experiences have allowed her to become the woman she is today. She has a unique perspective on life and despite the challenges of her upbringing she remains a positive and happy person.

T o learn more about the life of Drew Barrymore you can read her autobiography and hear it from her! Yoou can purchase your copy of 'Wildflower by Drew Barrymore' here.