Come again? Drew Barrymore’s spokesperson and the writer of a strange EgyptAir profile on the actress sought to clear up lingering questions about the article after it went viral on Twitter.
Photos of the profile, which appeared in EgyptAir’s in-flight magazine, Horus, surfaced on Twitter Tuesday, October 2. The article is filled with bizarre conjectures about Barrymore’s life, including: “It is known that Barrymore has had almost 17 relationships, engagements and marriages; psychologists believe that her behavior is only natural since she lacked the male role model in her life after her parents’ divorce when she was only 9 years old. Ever since that time, she has been subconsciously seeking attention and care from a male figure; but unfortunately things do not always go as planned and she has not yet succeeded in any relationship for various reasons.”
What proceeds is an “interview” with the 43-year-old Santa Clarita Diet star, in which she allegedly details taking time away from work to be a mom and losing weight after welcoming her daughters. (She and ex-husband Will Kopelman are parents of Olive, 6, and Frankie, 4.)
“I feel overwhelmed when someone tells me that I have regained my image and managed to lose that extra weight, especially that I felt depressed due to the significant increase in my weight after delivering Frankie,” Barrymore is quoted as saying. “However, I find this a great opportunity to encourage every woman who is overweight to work on regaining her beauty and body, especially that it is not as hard as one may think; it is all about determination and following the appropriate diet under the supervision of a physician.”
A spokesperson for the Charlie’s Angels actress told HuffPost Barrymore “did not participate” in an interview for the profile and her team is “working with the airline PR team.”
However, Aida Takla-O’Reilly, the writer of the piece and the former president of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, defended her work on Twitter Wednesday, October 3. “As a member of the HFPA since 1956, I have been a correspondent for many publications for decades,” she tweeted. “I interviewed celebrities published in Egypt Air’s official magazine; Horus, as well as Nisfdunia magazine, which is one of the publications of Al Ahram.”
She continued: “It is noted that the previously mentioned publications are authorized to edit the final version of the interviews, according to adjustments required by the magazines in regards to size of the article without altering the core of the content.”
“This doesn’t negate the fact that the interview with Drew Barrimoor which took place in New York is genuine &far from fake,” Takla-O’Reilly, whose name was apparently misspelled in the profile, concluded. “As far as Drew we interviewed her several times I saw her grow up before my eyes she is charming and talented.”
