It Could Happen to Drew
Hollywood’s golden girl on love,
relationships and her inextinguishable career
by Bret Love

Few actresses achieve success as early in life as Drew Barrymore, who became an international star at the age of seven after her breakout turn in Steven Spielberg’s sci-fi blockbuster E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial. But even fewer manage to battle back from the brink of adolescent burnout to become one of Hollywood’s most beloved beauties.

At age 34, Barrymore seems to have hit a stride in her professional life lately, with He’s Just Not That Into You (which she both starred in and executive produced) bringing in over $100 million at the box office, her HBO film Grey Gardens garnering universal critical acclaim and her directorial debut, Whip It!, due in theaters later this year. It’s a far cry from the controversy of her teen years, when drug addiction, battles with her parents and a penchant for outlandish behavior made her seem like a safe bet to be another child star tragedy in the making.

These days, the charming, free-spirited actress credits a positive attitude with helping to turn her life around. “I believe you can be the person that you dream of being,” she insists with a smile. “I realized that I had to overcome the trials and tribulations of my life. You have to; you don't have a choice. And the fact is that everything in life actually is a choice, so I just chose to get my life back on track and continue to go on an incline for happiness and enjoyment of life on a daily basis.”

The one area that has not yet seemed to click into place is her love life. Briefly married to Jeremy Thomas in the mid-‘90s and to comedian Tom Green from 2001-2002, Barrymore’s on-again/off-again relationship with actor Justin Long has made her a tabloid favorite in recent months. The actress readily admits that her lifestyle doesn’t make her the easiest person to have a romantic connection with.

“I’m a workaholic,” she confesses, “and I travel all of the time. To not have any routine about it can be very trying on a relationship, but I love my job. I try to be more rational than emotional in my approach. You choose to be this person. You choose to have this life. You choose to have these passions. These are choices we make. So let’s celebrate them instead of letting them bring us down all of the time and struggling with them.”

Of course, struggling with the issues that plague single people looking for love in the modern world was the central theme of He’s Just Not That Into You, which was adapted from the best-selling book by author Greg Behrendt. The film foresees an era in which everyone will be dating electronically, which is a reality that Barrymore admits she struggles with herself.

“I still have a wall phone, so this whole idea [of cell phones] and having to respond immediately and be quirky and quippy is strange to me. No guys call anymore; it's all text messaging. So I wanted to discuss that in the film, because it's so important in our day and age of Facebook and Internet dating and texting. It's just a whole new ballgame.”

Like the book, the film (which also stars Jennifer Aniston, Ginnifer Goodwin, Scarlett Johansson, Ben Affleck and Long) deals primarily with professional women seeking more satisfying relationships, often making excuses for why the men in their lives aren’t giving them the things they want, need and deserve. The overall message is one of empowerment, urging women not to cling to something that clearly wasn’t meant to be.

“I believe there are no rules,” Barrymore says when asked about her own philosophy of love. “But I think at a certain point something clicks and you're just not willing to accept less than what your heart desires. You run into that wall and hit your head so many times that you’re just lying there bloody on the floor, like ‘I get it.’ I don't think there are rules, but I think there is a good global case-by-case basis of how you should treat someone and how you want to be treated.”

For Barrymore, whose life has seen more ups and downs than your average rollercoaster, treating herself well seems to be a major priority these days. As she continues to deny reuniting romantically with Long despite being seen out together numerous times since their breakup, the actress-turned-producer-turned-director seems content to focus on her career for the moment, trusting that all good things will come in time.

“I’m not ready to have a family,” she insists, “and I’m not ready to get married. My head is so not in that place. It’s more about enjoying life, having fun, working and spending time with my friends. For me, those are my priorities right now.”