Drew Barrymore's life has been a rollercoaster ride. Now 46, the actress has been reflecting a lot on her troubled past growing up as a child actress. It's been a recurring topic during some segments in her talk show, The Drew Barrymore Show. The show has been a safe space for the actress and her guests to share truths about difficult times in their lives.
The Charlie's Angels star had Demi Lovato over to talk about her battle with addiction, Paris Hilton about her traumatic past in boarding school, and Barrymore's ex-husband Tom Green whom she hadn't talked to in 15 years. In between these heavy conversations, the actress has also talked about taking a break from acting. Here's the real reason she's not interested in making movies anymore.
She'd Been Acting Since She 'Was In Diapers'
Barrymore had her first acting gig when she was only 11 months old. It was for a dog food commercial. Then at 7, she starred in Steven Spielberg's 1982 blockbuster, E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial. So she wasn't kidding when she told Andy Cohen: "I’ve done it since I was in diapers." The actress was talking about how it felt natural to let go of acting to focus on her new priorities.
She also told Dax Shepherd in his podcast, Armchair Expert, that her life was "an absolute experiment" growing up. As early as the age of 9, Barrymore would party with other celebrities and her own mom. They would go to nightclubs and soon, the child star had problems with alcohol and drug use. At 14, she decided to "divorce [her] mother" and get the help she needed to stay sober.
However, the rebellious phase of the actress dragged on for years. She continued to work and was even getting amazing roles. Throughout the '80s and the '90s, Barrymore made headlines for her wild behavior, including that time she flashed David Letterman and gave him a kiss on the cheek during his show. Suddenly, there was this high demand for the star that she continued to star in critically acclaimed projects.
She Wants To Focus On Her Kids
The Never Been Kissed star wouldn't change a thing about her difficult past even though it almost ruined her future. But she said that it all naturally changed when she had her kids. "I wished anything was a catalyst for me to be my best self, [but] nothing was until I met my kids," she said.
"I could be a highly functioning woman at work. I was a woman in the boardroom and a child in the bedroom — and I didn’t care. I would drive with people intoxicated on Mulholland [Drive]. How I didn’t go over that side and I’m dead, I don’t know."
It all led to her current lack of interest to be "on a film set right now." According to her, "it was a no-brainer to [her] to put making movies on a back-burner so that [she] can be present and raise [her] kids [herself]." She also mentioned that having her kids became a gateway to forgiving her mother.
"The guilt I had that my mom and I could not have that societally perfect mother-daughter relationship crushed me throughout my life," she shared. "I finally let it go and was just like, this is what it is, this is who she is, this is what I am." She said that they'd finally put resentments in the past.
"I was like, hey you know what? F*ck it!" she said about the moment they decided to patch things up. "Woman to woman. Guess what? You’re not perfect. I’m not perfect. Let’s just f*cking not live the rest of our lives like this. I can’t take it anymore. I’m so ready to let it go. I’ve sat in this sh*t for so long I can’t wait to get out of this. And it’s been great ever since."
Getting Into Other Ventures
Barrymore has been busy with a lot of other projects lately. Aside from her chat show, she's also running several lifestyle brands — FLOWER Beauty, Flower Home, and Beautiful by Drew Barrymore, a line of kitchenware called. She also announced in March 2021 that she was launching a lifestyle magazine called Drew. It became available on newsstands three months later.
"I’ve lined my walls with magazine tear sheets since I was like 10 years old," the actress said about why she wanted to start this new venture. "I’ve always loved magazines because of the paper and the experience. Magazines are such a huge part of my life and they’re such a huge part of my inspiration for everything I do." Barrymore has certainly found new projects where she could perfectly balance her time between work and her kids.