Drew Barrymore’s interview with Austin Butler had fans asking the same thing: "Why is she always..."
Drew Barrymore's "invasive" interview style is under scrutiny once again over an old interview with actor Austin Butler. In February 2024, Drew Barrymore welcomed Butler and his 'Masters of the Air' co-star Callum Turner to her show. During their conversation, they discussed advice they received from George Clooney. Sitting notably close to Austin, Drew recalled how Clooney once told her to maintain eye contact while acting, even though she found it "intimate." A clip from the interview shared on Drew’s social media, sparked reactions from viewers, with one even suggesting she was "frightening" Austin.
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Some people criticized her behavior, with one asking, "Why is she always sitting on the guests?" Another commented, "Invasive?? This from a woman who practically dry humps her guests??" Others found her hosting style awkward. One person wrote, "I am still trying to figure out if I like her as a host. She tries too hard to connect and she doesn’t…" Another added, "She is so cringe. She is literally frightening this guy." Someone else remarked, "Talking about invasive and she's damn near straddling him."
During the conversation, Drew spoke about working with George Clooney on his directorial debut 2002 film 'Confessions of a Dangerous Mind'. She said she "loved working with him" and that he helped her avoid making choices that "were not serving me as an actor." Drew also explained how Clooney gave her acting advice, saying, "He would say, "You never keep eye contact with people in a scene." She admitted that she avoided eye contact because she found it too intense. "I'm like, "Well, because it's so intimate. Should we make out while we're at it?" Like, eye contact is insane."
Callum reacted by joking, "See, now I'm feeling the pressure to not take my eyes off of you right now," while motioning towards her eyes. Drew responded, "It's a very big deal in life, eye contact." She then added, "I almost feel like it's a little invasive and so I sort of shy away from it, but George helped me realize that I should not do that." Barrymore’s interview style has often sparked debate, and her recent sit-downs have been no exception. In April 2024, she faced backlash over an unusual interview with former Vice President Kamala Harris.
Their conversation covered a range of topics, from Harris’s historic role as the first female Vice President to her personal experiences. At one point, Barrymore brought up how Harris’s stepchildren call her “Momala” and took it a step further, saying, “I think in many ways you are the Momala of the country now.” Harris smiled at the comment, but not everyone found the moment endearing. Sitting close together on a large couch, Barrymore even held Harris’s hands while leaning in, as the audience clapped, HuffPost reported. While some viewers appreciated the warmth of the exchange, others felt it was awkward, with critics calling the “Momala” remark particularly cringeworthy.