She was a nation’s darling and a drug addict, a shining star and a homeless orphan, receiving huge fees and working in a coffee shop. Meeting Drew Barrymore, who knows that it’s not that far from pole to pole if you go in a straight line. That is why he appreciates honesty.
I call the press agent to set me up with a Hollywood star. She told me how busy she was, how much she was in demand, that I had to stand in line for a month and a half, and there were already New Yorker, Vogue and a dozen magazines in front of me … And the agent said to me: Drew is in the editing room for days, come, when you want, only warn the editor, here is his mobile, he will tell Drew that you will come. And no ritual dances, no escalation of significance, just “come when you want” …
And Drew Barrymore – she really is in the editing room for days, because she is editing her directorial debut Roll!, in which she also acts and which she produces. Behind her back is a white board, pasted on it are “reminders” of various subjects, both personal and industrial: “24th, Ellen – district” Portia “- birthday”; “17.00 – yoga”; “The plan with the dog – in the episode in the workshop” …
Her shoulder-length blond hair is disheveled as she ruffles it, trying out a new editing solution. And his eyes turned red – due to many hours of watching what is happening on the screen. And the liner is a little loose. And so she is well done – she looks ten years younger than her thirty-four. There is something cheerful, something boyishly reckless in her chiseled, antique features, when she begins to beat herself on the pockets of battered jeans in search of a lighter – we decided to talk in a smoking room, Drew had long dreamed of a smoke break. I notice a piercing on her tongue, marvel at her bright yellow nails with very creative, gothic painting, simple moccasins and electric blue suspenders over a blue boy’s shirt … But all this somehow mysteriously suits her, all this is not just for her. face – to character, to nature, to enthusiasm and liveliness. She is equal to herself, and it would never enter her head to figure out whether she is good and whether she is properly dressed. She is correct in general, this lively, sharp, cheerful girl. Open. But not at all naive. Such a person will not let herself be offended and will not go into her pocket for a word. Protects those he loves, but carefully chooses those he loves. And always stays in motion.
Roller derby is a roller skating race with collisions and wrestling. What is especially interesting is that this furious, hard-powered sport, in which the main element is called a collision, is done exclusively by girls. It was roller derby that became the passion of the heroine of the directorial debut of Drew Barrymore. Her “Roll!” – a manifesto of girlish strength, perseverance and independence, a manifesto of denial of prettiness and roundness, glossiness and compromise. The heroine of the film, Drew, is not afraid of a fierce fight. And behind all this it is not at all difficult to see the author – a woman who has already withstood a collision with life.
«Roll!” – in theaters from February 18.
Psychologies: You were the darling of the nation, the baby star after “ET”, and became a difficult teenager. An experienced drug addict, and then a “role model” for many. Star actress and successful, independent producer. And now the director. You change even physically. But is there something about you that stays the same?
My interlocutor thinks and looks at me attentively for a while. Then she turns to the large window, where the wind shakes the sycamore branches … She sighs, and then answers with strange gratitude, as if I had told her something secret that she did not know, but should have known.
Drew Barrymore: Got to the point. In the “top ten” from the first shot … The fact is that I am Cinderella. Not in the sense that it is customary to read from a fairy tale – as if it were about a girl who was lucky to have a fairy godmother. For me, this is a fairy tale about a person who knew how to use a loan … Do you know about such a theory – the theory of “86”? The point is that every living person is given a credit of 400 seconds every day. They add up in 86 hours of the day, but wise people consider time in seconds. And they strive to meaningfully live every second given on credit by life. The unspent part of the credit burns out at the end of the day. No one knows when the “bank” will stop issuing this daily loan… Cinderella’s dress and crystal shoes are a metaphor for this life loan for me. She took a chance, went to the ball, then the clock struck midnight, the loan burned out, but she had already had fun as best she could, she had already found her prince! I didn’t sulk at anyone, I didn’t take revenge on anyone – I just used a loan. She was grateful that it was provided to her, albeit on harsh terms. I view life in the same way: the conditions may be tough sometimes, but you have seconds to spare. And the only feeling that makes sense to feel about this is gratitude. I always feel gratitude – I have cultivated this ability in myself – to people, to life circumstances. What doesn’t break us makes us stronger. And if it breaks down… Hemingway has it all about it – you still get stronger when it breaks down… And what drives me… my fear, I guess.
How so?
D.B.: Yes, very simple. The moment you feel comfortable and confident means you know how life works. But that’s only at this, today’s level. Therefore, it is time to move on to the next one, to take a step into the frightening unknown. And fear here is a sign that you are moving. That’s why, in a sense, I like to experience fear and insecurity.
You’ve been to a drug clinic twice, survived a suicide attempt. Freed from your mother’s care when you were 16. And at that moment they were probably angry at their parents, Hollywood. Today, talk about gratitude…
“GREAT ABOUT PARENTS IS A LOAD THAT IS VERY HEAVY FOR LIFE Luggage. PERSONALLY, I DO NOT WANT TO CARRY SUCH WEIGHT ON MYSELF.
D.B.: There was anger, of course, but it was undirected anger, teenage protest. I did not and do not consider my parents to be bad people. They just made a mistake: they did not need to have children, they were completely unprepared for this. That is why my father lived without contact with me, almost to death. But I do not blame him, even though he is a decent scoundrel. But on the other hand, hippies, absolute, complete hippies. A free bird, he did not want to have children, and therefore disappeared at the very beginning. At the age of 14, I was waiting for an apology from him, that he would come and say: “Sorry, daughter, that I have not been with you all these years.” But by the age of 15 I realized: you can’t expect from a person what he cannot give. And it’s not his fault – he just doesn’t have what you expect. And mom … Mom did not understand what kind of responsibility it was to have a child. And what does it mean to protect him. And our breakup was more like a marital breakup. I didn’t quarrel, I didn’t harbor a mortal grudge. We just got divorced because the “marriage” – from my point of view – has run its course. Yes, I was very upset by our skirmishes, misunderstanding of each other, all these unsuccessful mothers and daughters … And for many years I tried to push away the memories, to isolate them. My psychotherapist even says that I never got in touch with my anger, with the anger that I felt then … But it seems to me that I finally understood and accepted it. We carry all our luggage. The adult approach is to acknowledge that you have luggage and not regret that you are not traveling light. But resentment is a burden, it makes the luggage too heavy. I don’t carry that much weight.
Was it difficult to break family ties?
D.B.: No, I don’t really believe in them. I would like to have my own family, and I hope to have one. But the bonds of blood themselves… I am a supporter of free choice. Well, I was not lucky to grow up in a warm family environment, but that’s why I believe in friends, that you can find your family. I call it “find your tribe”. Those who feel like you, who have the same values. I found my tribe. We even work together – some are just in our company, some come to projects. My family are my friends. A few years ago I came to my closest friend Nancy Juvonen She came, sat down, as usual, in the kitchen … I looked, and on the refrigerator she had a magnet with the inscription: “Happiness is a product of our choice.” I consider this idea to be absolutely true. It’s amazing that it was in the kitchen of Nancy, the most wonderful person I have ever met in my life, that I saw this slogan!
How did you feel when the world learned from the press that you had a drug problem?
D.B.: Everything has a “chocolate” side, even publicity. My terrible secret was revealed to the world: everyone knew that I was not a caramel crumb from “Alien”, not the embodiment of freshness and innocence. I have flaws and serious flaws. So, I have nothing to pretend that I’m perfection. From now on, I was able to be myself and no longer play the role of a good girl, which was beyond my power. And I’m grateful that I had to go through it and get to the point where I am now. Now I know what real humiliation is. I don’t know if everyone should know this … But I should have – in order to understand how it is necessary to experience gratitude.
Not everyone draws the same conclusions from the experience of humiliation as you do.
D.B.: But I’ve been lucky with the full spectrum of humiliation. I know all shades. And you know, the press comments are not the worst thing… For me, the senior classes turned out to be almost the worst. It was just purgatory. Not a single cover of a tabloid can be compared with that humiliation … Unless breaking … But an ordinary teenage thing – when you want to be like everyone else. I wanted to be a cheerleader, but they didn’t like me at school. But one day, one girl from the team told me that you can try to come to their training and somehow join their ranks. But as soon as I entered the hall, their captain, the most popular girl in the school, stopped, threw a staff and literally screamed: “What is this one doing here ?!” I ran out in tears. It was perhaps the most humiliating moment in my life. The second was when a guy I dated asked me to do a strip dance for him. 91/2 Weeks came out then, and Kim Basinger’s dance… oh, it was something. The sign of a new, liberated sexuality. Everyone is crazy. Well, that young man asked me about an erotic dance. Worse was the attempt at cheerleading! I didn’t feel sexy or just attractive! And at that moment I was more unsure of myself than ever. Now, after thirty, I feel better in this sense, but then … I could not agree, but I agreed that I was not in character … You know, I can’t demonstrate myself at all, although I firmly decided to become an actress at three of the year. To play a role is not to show oneself. This is completely different. But I am also grateful for this experience – at least I found out something significant about myself. And that guy and I broke up soon after. Funny.
“I TRY TO LIVE ON THE BASIS OF THIS PRINCIPLE: IT IS NOT IMPORTANT WHAT YOU HAVE, BUT MUCH MORE IMPORTANT IS HOW YOU CAN MANAGE IT.”
You say you weren’t sure about your attractiveness, even though you shot naked for covers, put on a strip show on TV… and had breast reduction surgery. Why?
D.B.: No, they are different things. The only time I was confident was when I was playing a role, for covers or on variety shows. Breast reduction is different. A large bust is a psychological burden. No matter what you wear, no matter how thin you look, you look fatter than you weigh. At parties, your breasts seem to come before you. She is noticed, but you can be ignored. My bust replaced me! It is generally accepted that men like big breasts. And I decided in my favor: men love her, and I love myself. The question is closed. My body has never been an enemy or a shell for me. It is me. I treat him quite calmly … You see, my bodily, sexual experience is somewhat wider than that of the “naturals”. I had not only partners, but also partners. In my opinion, feelings have no gender. But sex with a person of your gender provides other opportunities for understanding yourself. You study your own body not through your feelings, but through the body of another woman. This is a kind of experience, it gives a new dimension to the whole physics of your existence.
A few years ago your house burned down, miraculously you were not injured. And they hardly talked about it, as if it didn’t affect you in any way.
D.B.: Well, you have to be completely crazy to say that such things do not affect you. But I’m just as damn hippy as my dad. What I consider peace, rear, stability is not connected with the material world. In the end, it’s not what you have that matters, it’s how you use it. Man – like a bird – can fly to another nest, build a new one. It’s harder to find someone to hang out with. And I have such people. My friends, those I love. And then, I know, there is nothing final in the world – no walls, no roof, no relationships. But the latter is at least worth working on. I believe that happiness is possible now. And how it ends is not important at all. After all, it is not known when the “bank” will cover your “credit”.
Private bussiness
- 1975 Born in Culver City, California to actors John Drew Barrymore and Ildiko Jade Barrymore.
- 1976 Divorce of parents, Drew stays with his mother.
- 1978 Debut in the film “Love, suddenly” by Steve Margolin.
- 1981 Famous role in “ET” by Steven Spielberg.
- 1984 Role in Irreconcilable Differences by Charles Shyer.
- 1987 Starts using drugs. Later placed in a drug treatment clinic.
- 1989 Attempts to commit suicide and returns to the clinic, then lives with singer David Crosby’s well-known healthy lifestyle family and is freed from drug addiction.
- 1990 Releases the book Lost Girl.
- 1991 Released from parental custody through court and separated from mother; engaged to Leland Hayward, but soon breaks off the engagement.
- 1992 Nominated for a Golden Globe for her role in Tamra Davis’ Crazy About Guns; relationship with musician Jamie Walters.
- 1994 “Bad Girls” by Jonathan Kaplan; marries Jeremy Thomas, they break up a month later (the reason is Barrymore’s unwillingness to give up his bisexuality).
- 1995 Batman Forever by Joel Schumacher; founded his own film production company Flower Films.
- 1996 Everyone Says I Love You by Woody Allen.
- 1998 “The Wedding Singer” by Frank Coraci.
- 2000 “Charlie’s Angels” McG.
- 2001 Marries comedian Tom Green.
- 2002 “Confessions of a Dangerous Man” by George Clooney; personal relationship with musician Fabrizio Moretti.
- 2003 “Duplex” Danny DeVito opens the “five-year” roles in romantic comedies.
- 2007 Appointed UN Hunger Program Ambassador, donates $1 million to the program; personal relationship with actor Justin Long.
- 2009 Emmy nomination for Best Actress in Gray Gardens for Michael Sushi; directorial debut in the film “Scroll!”.