Drew Barrymore's scandalous lifestyle saw her being 'blacklisted' from Hollywood at just 12
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Drew Barrymore recently made news after media reports suggested that the actress wished for her mother's death while highlighting their troubled relationship during a new interview. However, the former took to Instagram to clarify her comments and said "I have never said that I wished my mother was dead." She added, "How dare you put those words in my mouth," before explaining, "I have been vulnerable, and tried to figure out a very difficult, painful relationship, while admitting it is difficult to do while a parent is alive, and that for those of us that have to figure that out in real-time, cannot wait as in they cannot wait for the time. Not that the parent is dead."
It has long been known that Barrymore had a troubled childhood. She was eight years old when her mothe first took her to Studio 54, the same place where she first tasted drugs. She had already experienced multiple stints at rehab due to drug and alcohol addiction by the time she was 13. She was also sent to a psychiatric facility around the same time after she attempted to take her own life before being emancipated from her parents at 14. While Barrymore was one of the most popular child artists in the 1980s, she was already blacklisted from Hollywood by the age of 12. However, she eventually made her way back to the industry and ended up being establishing herself as one of the most popular and beloved actresses of all time.
Why was Drew Barrymore blacklisted from Hollywood?
Barrymore was 11 months old when she first appeared in a commercial and five years old when she made her film debut with 'Altered States.' She soon reached the heights of fame as a child actor after appearing in Steven Spielberg's 1982 classing 'E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial.' However, the actress soon ended up facing a myriad of problems. She was 11 when she started facing alcohol issues and 12 when she was sent to rehab for drug addiction. It was the same addiction issues and cons of a troubled childhood that led to Barrymore being "blacklisted" from Hollywood at 12.
The 'Charlie's Angels' star opened up about her suspension from the industry during a 2020 interview with The Sun and said she felt "lucky" about regaining her place. "I don't know how I ended up here but I will never lose sight of how lucky I am. Being blacklisted at 12, I appreciate every job I have. I know what it's like to lose and work for things and be so lucky and have the opportunities I have and everything in between," Barrymore shared.
"I don't think there's much to hide at this point. I'm honored anyone will come on the show. I'm not an assuming person. I've been in this industry my whole life but I'm just as excited to be around people of note as anyone would be," she said at the time ahead of the launching 'The Drew Barrymore' show. The actress also opened up about losing work in her memoir 'Wildflower.' "Work was a very positive thing in my life, and sadly it had been taken away, because my mother also put me in an institution because she felt helpless. But when people found out, they just wrote me off as damaged goods, and I sadly understood that," she wrote.
Drew Barrymore successfully made her way back into the industry
After her 18-month stay at a psychiatric facility came to an end, a juvenile court emancipated Barrymore. By 15, she was allowed to drop out from school, stay in her own apartment and live her life as an adult without the care of her parents. Barrymore initially moved to an apartment in West Hollywood in the back of a building where her friend Justine lived. However, she needed a job and went on to work as a waitress in a coffeshop near her, a job Barrymore said she was not great at.
"What was my next adventure going to be? Once I was emancipated, I had simply dropped out of school. I had been on film sets my whole life, receiving three hours a day of tutoring. I hated it when I went back to school, because kids were merciless, a chapter you are supposed to face. I wasn’t going back voluntarily, but I didn’t want to be uneducated," the actress wrote in her memoir. "What did I want to learn? 'I know acting,' I thought, 'but that’s gone for now, and I don’t know if they will have me back.' People thought I was crazy, even though I wasn’t, I just grew up too fast," she added.
Barrymore eventually decided to self-educate herself and also quit her job at the coffeehouse. Meanwhile, she never gave up her love for acting. Eventually she made her returned to Hollywood at the age of 17 with a role in film 'Poison Ivy.' That was followed by 'Bad Girls,' two years after. Decades later, Barrymore has now appeared in over 60 films, including blockbusters like 'Never Been Kissed,' 'Scream,' 'The Wedding Singer,' 'Miss You Already,' 'Charlie's Angels,' 'Grey Gardens', and numerous others.
Barrymore even established her own production company, Flower Films, in 1995. She is also the recipient of several awards and nominations, including a Golden Globe Award and a Screen Actors Guild Award, in addition to nominations for seven Emmy Awards and a British Academy Film Award. She also earned a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2004. Barrymore is currently the host of her popular daytime talk show, 'The Drew Barrymore Show.' She is also a proud mother to daughters, Olive and Frankie, a role she considers her biggest achievement.