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 Members of the Barrymore family have been delighting audiences for several generations. However, for the Barrymores, it has been both a blessing and a curse. This curse even haunted its youngest, Drew. Drew Blythe Barrymore was born on February 22, 1975, and from the beginning, Drew's life started with a lesson. Her father, John Barrymore, Jr. left, and it was up to her mother Jaid to provide for her. However, it soon was Drew who did the providing. When Drew was only a baby, Jaid took her to auditions, and at 11 months, she starred in her first commercial... for Gainesburger puppy food. An actress was born. Growing up, Drew was imaginative and bubbly. No one was immune to her smile and charm. At the age of six, she auditioned for the Steven Spielberg film Poltergeist. Mr. Spielberg fell in love with Drew, but felt the role was not for her. Instead, he had another role in mind... that of Gertie in E.T. The Extraterrestrial. Audiences loved her. She followed with several appearances on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson, and became the youngest person to host Saturday Night Live. With all of this exposure, Drew was thrust into the spotlight. There were parties and premieres... and self-doubts. The Barrymore Curse had found it's next victim. At the age of nine, Drew began drinking, and at ten, she started smoking marijuana. However, amongst all the turmoil, she went on to star in three more movies: Irreconcilable Differences, Firestarter, and Cat's Eye. These films added not only to her fame, but also to her problems. As time went on, she began to rebel, and her drug abuse worsened. By age 12, she had experimented with cocaine, and at 13, she was out of control. However, when Drew hit bottom, there was only one way to go... up. The turning point came on June 28, 1988. Drew had been drinking heavily, and she demanded that her mother leave the house. Jaid knew something had to be done, so she took her daughter to the ASAP Family Treatment Center. Drew did so well in treatment, they granted her time to star in the movie Far From Home. Coming clean was a struggle for Drew, but she was a fighter. She learned to deal with her problems and began to make changes in her lifestyle1 One of the biggest steps she took in regaining her life back was to go public with her situation. This led to the publishing of her autobiography, Little Girl Lost at the age of 14. This was not enough, however. She wanted her career back as well, and she worked hard to get it. Drew moved out of the house and supported herself by working in coffee houses. Eventually, Drew landed a co-starring role in a CBS afterschool special entitled Fifteen and Getting Straight. Soon after, she took jobs in several low budget films. Word got out that she was doing well, which led to her role in the surprise hit Poison Ivy. Drew's career was reborn. She went on to star in Guncrazy, a role for which she literally stalked the director. She made her TV series debut in 2000 Malibu Road, which did well but was cancelled due to high production costs. Then came the role of Amy Fisher in the popular TV movie Beyond Control, followed by the female western Bad Girls. In Boys on the Side, she starred with such leading women as Whoopi Goldberg and Mary Louise Parker. She also starred in Mad Love, the somewhat autobiographical drama with Chris O'Donnell.... whom she worked with again in Batman Forever. Everyone Says I Love You was a monumental accomplishment for Drew, giving her the chance to work with famed actor and director Woody Allen. She had a brief but memorable appearance in Scream, and The Wedding Singer showed an adorable and witty Drew. In her most recent film Ever After, Drew showed a maturity in acting not seen in her earlier films. Outside of films, Drew has also been busy as a celebrity poster girl for Guess?... not to mention a layout in Playboy magazine. She has also devoted her time and support to worthy organizations such as the Wildlife Waystation and the Female Health Foundation. Drew Barrymore is a very active 23 year old, and
it is hard to believe she has accomplished so much both professionally
and personally. She overcame the odds in such a short time, and revitalized
a career that many thought was over. Drew lives life to its fullest, and
takes the bad with the good. This is one Barrymore that the so-called
"curse" could not destroy. Barbarella (2004) .... Barbarella
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