Doing it all! Drew Barrymore made a big impact in Hollywood as the adorable Gertie in Steven Spielberg’s E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial — and has since expanded her impressive résumé.
After her scene-stealing performance in the 1982 sci-fi film, the 47-year-old California native went on to star in the likes of Never Been Kissed, The Wedding Singer, Charlie’s Angels, He’s Just Not That Into You and three seasons of Netflix’s Santa Clarita Diet. In addition to making a big impact onscreen, the Ever After star has shared her life hacks via her own book and eponymous daytime TV show.
“I have worked really hard on a lot of things in my life that didn’t manifest, and I know those all ended up being building blocks for something else, so I tried to keep that discipline that I don’t think anything is a waste of time,” Barrymore told Variety in November 2020 ahead of the premiere of her The Drew Barrymore Show. “The harder you work and the more you apply yourself, somewhere, it will pay off.”
She continued: “I am lucky that my insane desire was to be the antidote because I think I would have tried to do something different at different intervals of my life. And it seems like this year, there was a part of me that was very nervous it could be the biggest failure.”
The 50 First Dates actress — who was previously married to Jeremy Thomas and Tom Green — is also a doting mother to her two daughters, Olive and Frankie, whom she shares with ex-husband Will Kopelman.
“I got two families,” she revealed during a February 2017 appearance on The Ellen DeGeneres Show about how she and Kopelman, 43, coparent their girls. “I went from, like, zero to two and it’s a miracle and a blessing, and we do it in a way that I think a lot of other people are probably doing it too, and sometimes, again, the road is different than what you tried to make it or what you expected and you just figure it out and figure it out with grace.”
Barrymore expanded her empire once again earlier this month with the debut of her own magazine, titled Drew, which is on newsstands now.
Scroll below for 25 fun facts about Barrymore, which she shared exclusively with Us Weekly:
1. I love to eat nachos at the movies.
2. My proudest personal moment was having my daughters, Olive and Frankie. Professionally, it was launching The Drew Barrymore Show during a pandemic. It will always feel like a feat.
3. A good habit I’ve started is breaking up with plastic thanks to products by Grove Collaborative.
4. My favorite meal is Quorn Meatless Chik’n Nuggets.
5. My dream job would be a travel writer. Or an adman. Or an interior designer. Or being an editor-in-chief, which is now a dream come true! The spring issue of DREW is on newsstands now!
6. I love cats, dogs, chickens, bearded dragons … and all living things.
7. The best way to spend an hour to myself is getting cozy on the couch, watching TV and eating takeout.
8. My favorite way to exercise is with my girlfriends.
9. I prefer iced tea over coffee.
10. My pet peeve is cruelty.
11. Dating apps scare me!
12. I can pick things up with my toes. I’m really good at it, and it’s really helpful when [my] hands are full.
13. My main weakness is being too hard on myself.
14. Most people hate burping in public, but I don’t!
15. My favorite place to vacation is Hawaii.
16. Most people love goat cheese, but I hate it.
17. The Beastie Boys’ song “Paul Revere” is my go-to when I do karaoke.
18. My favorite app is Postmates.
19. I’m more of a GIF person than an emoji person.
20. Euphoria is my favorite show to binge right now.
21. The best meal I cook is harissa spaghetti. The recipe is in my book Rebel Homemaker with chef Pilar Valdes. It’s something I can whip up anytime, anywhere, with varying ingredients and still get to the right place. It’s the most effortless dish in my repertoire.
22. A bad habit I’ve broken is drinking alcohol.
23. My favorite smell is patchouli.
24. I can’t live without my daughters.
25. My favorite outfit I’ve ever worn to an awards show is the champagne Versace gown I wore to the 2010 Golden Globes.
