Drew Barrymore: Daisies and Butterflies

Q: As you grow into adulthood and put the other vices behind you, will you become boring?

A: I guess I'm getting old and boring, that's it in a nutshell. I swear I'd like to do the rave scene, but I tend to work myself so hard I'm exhausted and can't do anything. There are times I miss the nightlife, but when I feel that way I go out and I party a little bit.

Q: You've sipped two glasses of wine during this interview. You had problems early in your early teens, and you come from alcoholic stock. Are you courting problems by drinking at all?

A: I think it has a huge amount to do with priorities and intentions. Everything starts with intentions. You set your priorities, your responsibilities, and what's important to you. When you have those things together, self-destruction just doesn't play a role in your life. Not at all.

Q: But reading your book made me think that like, say, Robert Downey Jr., you have to be careful.

A: We can talk about addiction and if you want to use his name we can, though I wouldn't bring it up. He does drugs. I have a glass of wine or two. But I've never done heroin, never. And if there ever was a time, it's so far gone. I giggle sometimes because of the comparisons that are made. I never walked around with guns or heroin, I was never that out of it. I was a kid who rebelled. When I see a kid trying to figure this shit out, it saddens me. But when I seen an adult trying to figure this shit out, it saddens me more, because they should know by then. When my thing happened, it was a helluva lot more subtle than his. But because it was public it seemed out of the ordinary. And I don't know if it was a different time, or because I was a girl. The circumstances are different now. It's a more open society, and [Downey's] also a man, but he's done all these things and yet he's still accepted in the industry, and employed. That to me is really shocking. I think if it was a woman, even in these times, it would be very different. A woman would be considered, if I may use the words, scummy and dirty. For some reason, men--and there is a small but prominent group of actors who repeatedly do public acts that are the opposite of family values--continue to work in studio movies. There's a dichotomy there that I haven't figured out. I don't want to sum it up and just say it's sexist. But in the end, when I think about someone like Robert Downey Jr., I think he should be a) grateful, and b) keep his act together.

Q: You're finally moving on All She Wanted, a true story which you'll produce and star in as a girl who reinvents herself as a boy, becomes very popular, and is raped and murdered by other boys who find out his/her secret. Why do you want to star in such a bleak film?

A: This is a chance for me as much as it is a risk, to do something I'd otherwise never be able to do. As a producer, I know the material lends itself to being sad, but I don't want to make a dour movie, I want to make an exciting movie. You know inevitably a tragedy takes place, but if we can make it a thrilling ride, without belittling anyone, that's the way I want to make this movie. It's taken years of living with it, working with the writer. The evolution has taken us to the point this movie is ready to be made in the right way.

Q: There's been talk about you maybe playing Sandra Dee in Barry Levinson's biopic of Bobby Darin.

A: Isn't that a tabloid creation? I wouldn't mind, but I'd think [if I were doing it] I'd be aware of it.

Q: Well, it would be an interesting part for you. Sandra Dee was rushed into the business at an early age, terrible things were done to her and she never really seemed to find happiness. You've been through more than your share of difficulty and yet seem happy.

A: It didn't take a long time for me to be happy. There were a few years where I felt, I don't know where I'm going. I tried a lot of different things and wasn't succeeding at them. [Figuratively speaking] I was scrubbing the muffin case with the abrasive side of the sponge and got yelled at because that scratches the glass so you can't see the muffins clearly. I knew I wasn't doing well at that. It's certainly not to say that I couldn't succeed at anything but acting. But I was lying to myself to think acting wasn't what I should be focusing my energy on.

Q: What do you focus your energy on now?

A: I'm incredibly focused now on the three flowers which I've planted--I mean Home Fries, The Wedding Singer and Cinderella. And I'm focused on the next projects for my company. I'm also encouraged by the work I'm doing on two charities. I look at Elizabeth Taylor and Shirley Temple, women who use their base for something positive. Being an actress is the best job I could have in this society and this world. But if I can do something more with it, that would be the best. I like having my relationships in the business. Meeting writers and actors and directors, all on professional levels. I don't want to socialize and party with these people. A dinner would be the most social gathering I'd present myself in now.

Q: So you don't try as hard to play the game, get noticed?

A: No, I try harder, but my channels are different. I'm not at every function. I'm getting deals together and sitting there trying to find out who's the up-and-coming writer and how can we get them. I work harder than ever on this. Even on my time off, I'm in my office all day. We're open 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. I'm usually there noon to eight. That's the one thing--I'm usually late to the office.

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Michael Fleming interviewed James Cameron for the Dec./Jan. '98 issue of Movieline.

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