The World According to Drew Barrymore

As the actress-turned-talk-show-host hits the big 5-Oh, she gets real about addiction, phones, Hollywood and more

As told to

Natasha Stoynoff,

AARP

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Published January 23, 2025

When writer Natasha Stoynoff interviewed Drew Barrymore for the cover story of AARP The Magazine on the cusp of Drew’s 50th birthday, the actress-turned-talk-show-host provided an honest, insightful, irreverent and very complete account of her life to date. So much so that we could not possibly fit it all into print. Here are several very Drew outtakes; for the complete interview, go here. And to see Drew’s reaction to her AARP The Magazine cover, tune into The Drew Barrymore Show on Monday, Jan. 27.

The goal of my show

I want to protect women and take care of females. I also want males to have good modeling for themselves. I want it to be win-win and not lose-lose.

Drew Barrymore in 1989.

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On being institutionalized at 13

The kids at the hospital would work with their therapists and counselors all week and prep. And every week, someone different would go into the middle of the circle and put it all out there. It was like cage fighting, but nobody was touching each other. And sometimes it was pin-drop quiet. And people also laughed so much. There was so much ridiculous humor that came out of it.

Phones off, distractions begone!

I’m very purposeful about people not having their phones on all the time. I think we’re increasingly getting to a stage where we’re not present. And I do the same thing, sometimes just in my head. When I’m having a conversation or a revelation, I’m thinking about the essay I’m going to write or how I’m going to put this into the show, or can I put that in my gratitude journal? Or can I tell Barry my therapist about that? Or is that a good conversation to strike up with my kids or...

I think we’re always pinball-machining in our own heads. But then with phones or technology, we’re constantly having that presence chipped away at. It’s good to force ourselves just not to have any little gadget or exterior force vying and jockeying for our attention and splitting it.

drew barrymore walks through a crowd in a dark blue suit

Drew Barrymore on the set of her talk show, "The Drew Barrymore Show."

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Booze and cigarettes? No.

Drinking, smoking, all these things...I’m like, I can’t do this anymore. It does not work for me. It’s killing me. You have to stop, and that can take decades to get to. And then you get mad at yourself at how long you took to get there. And you’re like, well, I just realized I was looking for excuses to be unhappy and not feel good inside.

Adulthood at 30-something

If you’re seen as a bad girl, then you just think you’re a bad girl. That haunted me for a long time, until my early 20s when I sort of felt, maybe I’m more stable now. My personal life was really fun and hedonistic, but I didn’t need to totally take it so seriously. I had low stakes. I wasn’t trying to start a family or have kids. I just wanted to have relationships, and walks, and enjoy my life. So it was kind of OK. And then in my 30s, I really wanted to settle down, and things changed.

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drew barrymore signs a playboy magazine with herself on the cover

Drew Barrymore signs autographs for fans in February 2004 when she was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

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Not an act anymore

Saying no to acting was an easy no. I’ve done it my whole life. Why not park it to the side? If you invest nearly 40 years of your life, what’s a decade or two off in comparison? I was fiercely loyal to wanting to be with my kids. Acting felt like a violation and a contradiction.

Vanity is baloney

When I was young, I saw people, because of Hollywood or the job, go deep into the vanity rabbit hole, and that seemed so undesirable and toxic to me. I knew not to fall prey to that. I have my own insecurities, or worries, or things that bother me, the same as every human on the planet. But I knew not to fall prey to that stupid vanity bulls--t.

drew barrymore and brooke shields hug on the set of barrymore's talk show

Drew Barrymore hugs Brooke Shields, another former child star, on the set of "The Drew Barrymore Show."

Courtesy CBS/Ashley Bean

Work ethics rock

Most of the people I’m around work hard. They are prolific doers. As lazy as I can be — and I can be lazy if I really need to be and just turn it off and recharge my batteries — I’m someone who’s very energized. I’m drawn to people who are doers, too. But that doesn’t have to mean money, power, success, fame or notoriety. It’s just people who work.

Banish your anger

People say you should get in touch with your anger. I’m sure for some people, that might be a necessary place. But I’ve always found in my own little existence, particularly as an actor, I try not to work from any place of anger, or bitterness, or “I’ll show you,” or “I deserve this.” Try not to let that chip on your shoulder build. It’s not healthy and it’s not a good place to work from. I am like, “I’d like to try this. I’d like to earn it, and I am going to do everything it takes.” And I feel lucky that so many people said yes.

drew barrymore sits in a chair, wearing a blue shirt, bright pink skirt and hat, and green gloves

Ramona Rosales

Watching myself on screen

I wish I liked to watch my films. But it’s seems so weird to sit around and watch your own films. But I also love if somebody does like to watch themselves. They have my ultimate respect. I don’t know why I have such a hang-up about it.

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Photographs by Ramona Rosales. Producer: Anderson Hopkins/Kindly Productions; Set Design: WayOut Studio; Wardrobe Stylist: Lee Harris for The Wall Group; Hair Stylist: Daniel Howell for Walter Schupfer Management; Makeup Artist: Lauren Lazaro Gulino for Walter Schupfer Management

Natasha Stoynoff is an award-winning journalist and New York Times best-selling coauthor of 15 books who frequently writes about celebrities and culture for AARP The Magazine. Her most recent book is Bones: Anorexia, Anxiety, and My Path to Self-Love, with Robyn Shumer.