Drew Barrymore as a toothless seven-year-old in 'E.T.' or as the zombie in 'Santa Clarita Diet', every version of her is lovable
When you mix sugar, spice, and everything nice and nurture with eternal sunshine, what do you get? Drew Barrymore, That’s our theory, anyway. From being an adorable child actress who proudly displayed her toothless grin on Johnny Carson at the age of seven to becoming the unbelievably lovable zombie realtor Sheila Hammond on Netflix’s ‘Santa Clarita Diet,’ there is literally nothing Barrymore can do to stop us from loving her.
Having begun her career as a child actress in ‘E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial,’ in 1982, Barrymore has been through what most actors that grew up in the limelight fall victim to– drug and alcohol addiction. However, she successfully came out of that phase and started conquering Hollywood through different avenues, including acting, directing, producing, writing and most importantly, the boss lady entrepreneur that she was always meant to be.
Over the years, Barrymore has had many hits, from ‘Mad Love’ in 1995’ to ‘Never Been Kissed’ in 1999 to ‘Grey Gardens’ in 2009’, and now her portrayal of a well-meaning zombie on one of Netflix’s most popular shows, proves that her star is not fading any time soon. Now a 42-year-old Hollywood scion turned legend in her own right, Barrymore has become a symbol of “cool” with no care for the unrealistic beauty standards set by La La Land.
Her chubby cheeks and twinkling light green eyes have always radiated warmth, but what truly sets her apart from the rest of the pack is her lack of inhibition to rock a #nomakeup #nofilter look, way before it was the cool thing to do. Despite having her own makeup line Flower Beauty collection, she has been an inspiration for many women to embrace their makeup-free skin in all its natural glory.
“I just eat everything I want, which isn’t healthy. I’m bigger this time than my first time. My doctor the other day was like, ‘Yeah, so I think maybe pull back. A little bit,’” she told Ellen DeGeneres during her second pregnancy. “I was like, really? I thought I was doing great. I still fit into those jeans — they hurt when I wear them — but I still fit into them. I don’t ever pose, ‘I’m just so fabulous and I lose it like that.’ I want to enjoy the pasta right now! What’s 10 lbs.?”
With a healthy attitude towards her personal temple and her own eating habits, she is standing in paradox to the many celebrity moms who are quick to share their post-baby abs photo with #blessed. While this in our eyes is a form of activism in itself, standing up for herself when the industry she is in tries to tell her and other women that anything above a size 2 is repulsive and unnatural, is what makes it even better. In reality, she is a grassroots level activist, having traveled to Kenya twice on missions with the World Food Programme, and has donated over a million dollars towards their goal.
Identifying as a bisexual, Barrymore is also an avid advocate of LGBTQ+ rights. She walked among a thousand other marriage equality advocates in the streets of West Hollywood in 2009 when the California Supreme Court upheld Proposition 8, which eliminated marriage for gay and lesbian couples.
"I was born, bred and raised among diversity, it has defined me and made me the person I am today,” she said in response to getting nominated for the Vanguard Award at 21st Annual GLAAD Media Awards.
The most endearing thing about Barrymore, personally, is her friendship with Cameron Diaz. As two badass women who are at the top of their careers in an industry that tries to pit women against women, they managed to forge and maintain a friendship for decades.
"We're like more than best friends, she's my sister," the actress told ET, adding, "We have much more of that kind of relationship, we're very honest with each other. We push each other. And we've had the majority of our lives spent side by side, really going through what real life is, which is an everyday high and low and we just have each other's backs."
Barrymore has proved in various avenues of her life and career that with a bright smile and the right attitude, coupled with nothing but kindness and consideration for others, you can conquer all. I can think of no one who survived the personal lows, career ruts, publicized breakups, and public emotional breakdowns with more grace and elegance. And, at 44, she has a lot more to achieve, and we have a lot more to praise her for.