~*~DREW BARRYMORE~*~

DREW INFO**

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C/O Creative Artists Agency 9830 Wilshire Blvd Beverly Hills, CA 90212 USA

Date of Birth: February 22, 1975

Actress. Born on February 22, 1975, in Los Angeles, California. The daughter of John Barrymore Jr. (John Drew Barrymore), she appeared in a commercial at nine months and made her movie debut at age four. She gained much popularity from an endearing performance in Steven Spielberg's E.T.: The Extraterrestrial and seemed assured of a bright future. But her prematurely adult lifestyle in the fast lane soon took its toll. She took her first alcoholic drink at nine, smoked marijuana at 11, and sniffed cocaine at 12. After an attempted suicide, she was confined to a rehabilitation clinic for a long stretch. She returned to the screen, however, in 1989, and revealed the tragic story of her tormented young life in a book, Little Girl Lost. She rebounded in the early 90's as an updated femme fatale, shedding her clothes (at 17) for a controversial cover of "Interview" magazine, and for her role in Poison Ivy. She appeared as Amy Fisher in one of three TV movies based on the notorious Long Island Lolita.

FILMS:

Diner, Tender Mercies 1982; Daniel, Eddie and the Cruisers 1983; The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension, Harry and Son 1984; Enormous Changes at the Last Minute 1985; Desert Bloom, Down by Law 1986; The Big Easy, Siesta, Made in Heaven 1987; Sea of Love, Johnny Handsome 1989; Switch 1991; Man Trouble 1992; Mac, This Boy's Life, Into the West 1993; Unzipped (doc.), Bad Company, Wild Bill 1995; The Fan, Mad Dog Time 1996.

TELEVISION:

We're Fighting Back 1981; Parole 1982; Murder Ink 1983; Terrible Joe Moran 1984; Act of Vengeance 1986; Clinton and Nadine 1988.

STAGE:

Killings on the Last Line, Shout Across the River 1980; Extremities, Daniel 1983; Fool for Love 1984-85; Eden Court 1985.

YM: Why play a nerd?

Drew: I thought it would be really fun to do a movie about the awkward moments in life that we don't like to talk about and don't really show that much in films. I try to embrace those moments when I wasn't cool and made a fool of myself.

Leelee: My character, Aldys, is queen of the nerds, but she's actually very cool. She wears what she wants to wear even if everybody thinks it's the weirdest, ugliest thing, or the colors clash and it doesn't match. People say 'nerd' condescendingly, but when you're older you start to realize that it's the nerds who grow up to be the cool ones.

YM: How did you dorkify yourself to be Josie?

Drew:Acne, bad clothes, bad hairdos - I definitely went through the works. But I've got plenty of my own zits to work with. I can't believe they're finally of use to me!

YM: What's a typical Drew Say Anything moment?

Drew: When I'm really overzealous and excited in front of someone who's all about cool and I feel like such a dork. Or I'm feeling sassy and flirting with my boyfriend across the room and then I just trip and go down on all fours. And I'm like, "Okay, the cover is blown! Everyone knows that I'm completely lame and uncoordinated."

YM: And you actually find those cring times funny?

Drew: As sensitive as you are to those moments, there's humor in them. I really appreciate a film that's about vulnerability.

YM: Did you guys have a lot of fun working with each other?

Drew: We were like a barrel of monkeys, constantly laughing and hanging out. David and I have known each other for 11 years. He's gorgeous and effervescent and giving of himself. And he's fun. Girls want to be with guys who have a sense of humor - it makes them far more attractive to us.

David: I feel like Drew's my sister or something. She's an incredibly sweet, warm-hearted person. Drew's like that with almost everybody.

Drew: And Leelee is someone who just jumps out at you because she's so charismatic and unique. She's my Schmooziecats - that's what we call each other. I believe that I'll know her for the rest of my life.

Leelee: There's no other actress I look up to as much as Drew. I'm so amazed by her, because she's had a hard life and she's still become the sweetest person in the world. If you give her a compliment, she makes you feel like you've told her the most special thing in her entire life. Then she'll come right back and give you ten compliments.

YM: How would you deal with going to high school all over again?

David: High school is hard. Kids go through different problems, although they don't ever have to get really out of control and choose a destructive path. You just have to stick together and get through it.

Drew: It's such a tumultuous time, with all the soul-searching and figuring out what kind of person you want to be and where you want to go in life.

YM: Was that true for you at that age?

Drew: I know what the intimidation level of high school is. You're on a constant hamster wheel, running, running, running, trying so hard to fit in. It's all about how you deal with what you're given, feeling okay with being the odd man out before you're finally successful.

YM: So where does Josie fit in?

Drew: She's at a leaping-off place, where you know you're probably ten years away from getting somewhere in life. She's learning that no matter who you are, your looks aren't going to get you through an evening, let alone a friendship or a relationship. It's always what's in your heart that makes people wnat to learn more about you. To love yourself is the key.

YM: Never Been Kissed is your 35th movie, Drew. Why did you want to produce this time?

Drew: Producing is so much fun, but it's really hard, because you want to make sure everything's right. I was involved in every aspect of making the film: casting, production design, costumes. My brain felt like a speeding train.

YM: What are your favorite kind of flicks to make?