The Unknown Things About Drew Barrymore’s Tragic Life

Drew Barrymore has done well to clean up her image over the years. However, while she might have put her wild-child years behind her, it can be hard for anyone to forget they happened. She experienced more in the first few decades of her life than many people go through in their entire lives. It’s perhaps a wonder Drew’s still here today.

Drew Barrymore wasn’t even a year old when she landed her first acting role

With dozens of credits to her name, there’s no denying that Drew Barrymore is an accomplished actress. Is this career really what she wanted to do with her life, though? Whether it is or it isn’t, it seems that Drew wasn’t really given much of a choice when she was younger. She wasn’t even a year old before she appeared in front of the cameras for the first time.

She was cast in a dog food commercial that set her on the path to stardom. Being so young, though, Barrymore hardly had much say in whether or not she wanted to do the job. Coming from a long line of actors, it seems there may have been an expectation for her to continue the family profession regardless.

It was several years of filming commercials before anything significant came along

Most people spend years trying to hone their acting skills yet still can’t bag themselves any work. Meanwhile, Drew had a gig effectively fall into her lap at just eleven months old. While she might have been quick to score some camera time, though, that doesn’t mean she achieved instant success. The commercial certainly helped the actress get her face out there, but it didn’t propel her into the limelight.

It was several more years before Barrymore appeared in anything notable. In the meantime, she continued to film commercials for things like cookie dough while she waited for something better to come along. Once it finally arrived, it seems that Drew was willing to do whatever it took to make her audition successful.

She auditioned for a role in Poltergeist but wasn’t successful

In 1982, the supernatural horror film ‘Poltergeist’ hit theaters across the nation and achieved significant success. The film’s star, Heather O’Rourke, was only six years old when the movie debuted, roughly the same age that Barrymore was when she auditioned for the part. ‘Poltergeist’ was the perfect opportunity for the actress to showcase her skills on the big screen and finally move away from doing commercials.

The fact that Steven Spielberg was involved in the casting process had the potential to work in her favor. After all, the director is her godfather. However, it seems that he didn’t play favorites when working out who to play Carol Anne Freeling. O’Rourke landed the part, and Drew was left disappointed. However, there was a silver lining to the rejection.

Drew’s lies during her Poltergeist audition helped her land another film role

She might not have been successful in auditioning for ‘Poltergeist,’ but Spielberg wasn’t about to let Barrymore go away empty-handed. She impressed him so much that he decided to give her the part of Gertie Taylor in the sci-fi film ‘E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial.’ However, what Drew impressed him with wasn’t necessarily anything authentic.

It seems the young actress was so determined to make her mark during the ‘Poltergeist’ audition that she embellished the truth a little. For instance, she reportedly claimed to be both a chef and a drummer in a rock band. These were lies, but that didn’t stop people from hanging on to her every word. Whether anyone believed her or not, they seemingly saw that Drew had potential in front of the camera.

Drew Barrymore started drinking when she was seven and steadily spiraled out of control

Being a young actress in Hollywood, it’s not difficult to go off the rails. Unfortunately, Drew is the perfect example of that. Before she even hit double figures, she was living the life of someone several times her age. Apparently, she’d already started enjoying adult drinks when she was only seven years old. Drew’d allegedly pour some of it on her ice cream and eat it like it was syrup.

Being at such a vulnerable age, it wasn’t hard for Barrymore to stumble down a dark path that would potentially change her life forever. It would be years before she eventually pulled herself together. Until then, she steadily became more dependent on the drink, with Drew reportedly having too much at Rob Lowe’s birthday party when she was nine.

Drew’s mother was influential in her adult behavior by taking her to clubs

You might think that if a seven-year-old was drinking things they shouldn’t, their parents would try to stop them. However, it seems that Drew’s mother was actually influential in her adult behavior. Rather than keeping her daughter on the straight and narrow, Jaid Barrymore apparently supported her actions. That’s evident by the fact that the mother and daughter often went to clubs together during the actress’ childhood.

Drew later referred to the experiences as “Disneyland for adults,” saying that they sometimes enjoyed nights out five times in one week. This included trips to Studio 54, where the guests got up to all sorts of behavior. With Jaid seemingly refusing to control her daughter’s behavior, it was almost impossible for Drew not to spiral deeper over the coming years.

Her abusive father wasn’t particularly present during her childhood

Around the same time that Barrymore was drinking too much at Rob Lowe’s party and going to Studio 54, the actress’ parents got divorced. For most children, this would be a harsh blow to deal with. However, the legal separation was something that had been years in the making. In her autobiography ‘Little Girl Lost,’ Drew shared that her dad walked out on the family when she was only six months old.

The father and daughter didn’t have the best relationship before that happened, with the actress revealing that the man could be quite abusive. It wasn’t him that she missed when he left. However, most kids yearn for a father figure growing up, so she was naturally affected by not having a dad around.

She once threw people’s clothes into a river after a night of drinking

With an absent dad and a mom unprepared for the trials of being a single parent, there was little helping Drew Barrymore hold her life together. That’s why things continued to spiral out of control as the years went on. At 11 years old, her behavior hit a new low point when she stole people’s clothes and threw them off a balcony while staying at a hotel.

According to Vulture, Drew spent some time drinking with a rock band while filming the Christmas musical ‘Babes in Toyland.’ After knocking back a few, they decided to take a bunch of laundry bags and throw their contents over the balcony. Unfortunately, there was a river right below them. It was not Barrymore’s finest moment.

As a child, Barrymore engaged in other adult substances aside from drinking

The incident with the rock band actually left Drew feeling a little guilty, and she reportedly kept her behavior in check during the rest of filming. However, that doesn’t mean she was starting to get her life together after spiraling out of control for so long. She was still a few years away from hitting rock bottom, and until that point, she’d fail to truly see the error of her ways.

So, Drew continued with her wild behavior, which included dabbling in adult substances outside of drinking. Like a lot of things in her childhood, this apparently started before Barrymore was in double figures. She seemed determined to live the life of someone in their 20s, despite being less than half their age.

Her use of adult substances gradually became more illegal once she was ten

As the years progressed, so did Drew’s craving to engage in behavior that she was far too young for. By the time she was ten, her interest in adult substances apparently turned illegal. From there, things went downhill fast. It’s unclear who exactly turned the actress toward these substances in the first place.

E! News says a friend’s mother was responsible, whereas People magazine claims it was from some young adults. Whoever it was, though, they put Barrymore on the path of some incredibly destructive behavior. Before long, she grew bored with what she was using, so she decided to seek out something harder. According to People magazine, she had the mind of an addict, so it made sense for Drew to start using more dangerous substances.

Drew Barrymore sought out rehabilitation twice by the time she became a teenager

By 12 years old, Drew was hooked on some very dangerous substances. There was a significant risk that she’d lose her life if she ever accidentally took more than she was supposed to. Thankfully, Barrymore is still around today. However, things could have been very different if she hadn’t tried to get clean.

People magazine says that she sought out rehabilitation twice to deal with her substance abuse problems. Evidently, her first trip didn’t exactly go to plan, given that she had to return a second time. Moreover, both of these stays happened by the time she was 13. Plenty of kids don’t even know what illegal substances are at this age, let alone have a crippling abuse problem with them.

She stayed clean for six months before she fell off the wagon and had a car crash

Once you’ve struggled with addiction, there’s always a risk that you’ll fall off the wagon. That’s why programs and sponsors exist to help those who are worried they’re just one bad day away from giving in to their demons. Barrymore was aware that she wasn’t cured when she finished rehabilitation. However, she was hopeful that she’d be able to put her past troubles behind her.

Unfortunately, the universe wasn’t willing to let her fix herself, not yet. That’s why everything fell apart just six months later. She reportedly dabbled in some illegal substances with a friend that ended with Drew getting into a car accident. Thankfully, she emerged from the wreckage unharmed, but the damage was done. Her efforts to stay clean had failed once again.

Drew struggled immensely with her mental health and relationships in the aftermath

Going back to her old habits was bad enough, but it wasn’t quite the rock bottom that changed her life for good. However, that wasn’t far off. After falling off the wagon, Barrymore’s life began to lose control in a lot of ways. For instance, her relationship with her mother became splintered, to the point that Drew actually moved out of the house.

She was still just a teenager at this point and an incredibly vulnerable one at that. So, it’s perhaps no wonder that her mental health reportedly suffered, with Barrymore allegedly struggling with depression. This wasn’t helped by having some of her friends turn against her or by her father calling her out of the blue and wanting money. Everything suddenly became too much for Drew.

She cut herself with a knife, prompting suspicion that she tried to take her own life

Drew is adamant that what happened next isn’t what the media reported it to be. However, it might not be hard to see why people would jump to such conclusions, given what happened. With nothing in her life seemingly going her way, Barrymore apparently wanted to show how much pain she was in. She did that by getting a knife and cutting herself.

Many quickly assumed that this was the actress’ attempt to take her own life, but she says she still had a will to live. She was simply in a lot of pain after everything that happened. Drew was unloved by her dad, had low self-esteem, was low on money, struggled to maintain friendships, and ultimately felt incredibly alone. She didn’t know what else to do.

Drew Barrymore was institutionalized after allegedly trying to end her life

That moment was one of the lowest points in Barrymore’s life. Thankfully, once you hit rock bottom, things can only get better. With fears that the actress had tried to end it all and her mother unsure how to parent her effectively, Drew was institutionalized. She was still only 13 years old when this happened, and it was 18 months until she was finally released.

That period of time was incredibly tough, but it ultimately did the actress a lot of good. In hindsight, she’s glad that she wasn’t aware she was being committed until after it happened. According to her interview with the Guardian, had she known what her mother was planning, Drew would have fled. Who knows how things would have played out if that happened.

Drew got emancipated from her mother shortly after getting out of hospital

When Drew walked out of that place 18 months later, she saw the world with very different eyes. She wasn’t necessarily an entirely different person from the one who’d been committed all that time ago. However, she had more control over her life and felt like she could finally make some significant improvements.

One of the first things she did upon getting out was legally separate from her mom. According to the actress, the two of them had “driven their relationship to the ground,” so emancipation seemed like the best move going forward. Barrymore didn’t exactly go through the process with a smile on her face, but she knew it was a necessity after everything that had happened. Drew needed a clean slate.

Barrymore forgives her mother for putting her in an institution as a teenager

To many parents, the thought of their child wanting to be emancipated is probably too painful to think about. However, there aren’t a lot of moms and dads who’d take their kids clubbing when they’re only nine years old. Drew and Jaid’s relationship is far from normal, and some might say this legal separation was inevitable.

Despite distancing herself from her mother like this, though, Barrymore has managed to forgive some of her actions. That includes institutionalizing her, as she spoke about with Howard Stern. She told him that her mother “created a monster” by allowing all her adult behavior, but then didn’t know what to do with her. Jaid apparently felt that having Drew committed was “her last gasp,” so her daughter doesn’t hold a grudge.

She struggled to find acting work because her reputation was in tatters

Being institutionalized made a significant difference in Drew’s life and began her path to redemption. However, just because her time away did wonders for her, that didn’t mean everyone was willing to forgive and forget the past. That included casting directors, who feared that Barrymore wasn’t trustworthy.

Apparently, some of them laughed at her when she attended auditions because there was no way they’d ever hire her. It left the actress feeling washed up at just 14 years old. She wasn’t really sure what to do with herself and wondered if her acting career was already over. She’d hardly be the first child star to be out of work before they’d become an adult. However, acting was all Drew’d ever done, and she didn’t want to give it up.

Drew took up a job at a café until she could score more acting work

With Drew emancipated from her mom, she was officially on her own. That meant she needed to financially support herself moving forward. Unfortunately, with casting directors unwilling to even consider hiring her, she needed to look elsewhere if she wanted money. So, Barrymore did what a lot of struggling actors do when people won’t cast them, and she got a job in a café.

It wasn’t the most glamorous position, but it was all she could get her hands on. After all, she didn’t have much in the way of work experience, nor could she drive a car, so her options were limited. Thankfully, Drew did manage to claw her way back into Hollywood, which is a relief, given she didn’t get rave reviews at the café job.

Many of her relationships have been notable but short-lived

Boyfriends weren’t exactly a priority for Drew Barrymore when she had her start in Hollywood. However, as time went on, she became increasingly interested in forging romantic relationships. Unfortunately, a lot of these were notable for all the wrong reasons. She hasn’t often had the best luck when it comes to men, with plenty of Barrymore’s romances being incredibly short-lived.

For instance, she dated Corey Feldman when she was 14 and later enjoyed a brief fling with Corey Haim. Both of these actors were a big deal when they romanced Drew, so the relationships attracted plenty of attention. However, it was never long before things fell apart. The same thing happened with her relationship with Leland Hayward. Although the two got engaged, they split up just two months later.

Drew wasn’t afraid to take her clothes off for the cameras in the 1990s

Hayward isn’t the only guy that Drew’s been engaged to without ever making it down the aisle. She also had hopes of marrying Jamie Walters, although the relationship evidently didn’t work out the way they’d hoped. One of the most notable things the couple did during their time together was appear in a rather controversial photoshoot in 1992.

Barrymore showed no hesitation about taking her clothes off for the camera, with the actress bravely baring all. This kind of behavior was somewhat normal for Drew during the early ’90s as she strived to prove she wasn’t a child actor anymore. She completed several photoshoots like this, including one for the cover of Playboy in 1995. Although she was no longer using illegal substances, she was still pretty wild.

Barrymore tied the knot with Jeremy Thomas after six weeks of knowing each other

Although Hayward and Walters never put a ring on Barrymore’s finger, some men have made it as far as marrying the actress. The first to do so was Jeremy Thomas, who became Drew’s husband in 1994. The two hadn’t exactly known one another long, with the pair reportedly meeting just six weeks before they tied the knot.

Their wedding was very much a spur-of-the-moment thing, with the duo deciding to get married at four in the morning. They were partying with friends and figured there was no better time to become husband and wife than there and then. So, they searched for a 24-hour minister, and an hour and a half later, the duo was married. A pit bull apparently acted as the maid of honor.

Her first marriage only lasted for 19 days before it ended in divorce

Although a quick wedding doesn’t guarantee a divorce somewhere down the line, not many marriages last when both parties rush into it like this. Unfortunately, Drew and Jeremy weren’t an exception, with their relationship falling apart within a matter of weeks after tying the knot. It was only 19 days before they got divorced, making their nuptials one of the shortest that the celebrity world has ever seen.

Given that Barrymore apparently knew she’d made a mistake the day she married Thomas, it’s perhaps no surprise that things didn’t work out. What’s more, Jeremy’s reasoning for putting a ring on the actress’ finger was apparently “because she was cute.” While it’s good to find your partner attractive, it shouldn’t be the sole reason you marry them.

She sent a letter to Hugh Grant following his arrest because she saw herself in his behavior

The mid-’90s was a significant time for Barrymore. Not only was she briefly married to Thomas, but she also connected with Hugh Grant in a special way. 1995 was the year that he was arrested for “lewd conduct” in his car with a woman that definitely wasn’t his girlfriend. It earned him a ton of backlash and threatened to ruin his reputation forever.

While many people were calling him out, one person who supported the actor was Drew. It wasn’t that she approved of his behavior, but rather she related to his struggles of having such personal mistakes be front-page news. She saw herself in what he was going through, so Drew sent him a letter that Grant reportedly still treasures to this day.

Drew flashed David Letterman on his talk show as her way of saying “happy birthday”

Of all the things that Drew did during the mid-’90s, the arguably most famous incident of all of them is probably what happened when she appeared on David Letterman’s talk show. It was the host’s birthday, and she opted to celebrate the special occasion in her own unique way. The actress got on his desk and flashed him while the cameras were rolling, leaving many viewers speechless.

Fortunately, she had her back to the cameras so they couldn’t see anything, not that exposing herself was anything new to Barrymore back then. Nowadays, she and Letterman can laugh about that moment, with the pair reliving it when David appeared on Drew’s own talk show. However, at the time, it didn’t necessarily attract attention for all the right reasons.

Flashing Letterman was apparently what convinced Drew to start cleaning up her behavior

Being institutionalized was a big turning point in Drew’s life for getting her clean. However, it evidently didn’t stop her from engaging in some wild behavior. The turning point for that actually came when Barrymore flashed Letterman on his show. In her memoir ‘Wildflower,’ she acknowledged that moment as being “the end of an era” for her.

That’s because when she watched the scene back on TV, it didn’t seem as funny to her as when she was on that desk giving the host an eyeful. Moving forward, Drew worked hard to try and clean up her image, including adding modesty clauses to her contracts and refusing to film any intimate scenes. It took years, but that effort eventually paid off because her reputation today is incredibly different.

She married Tom Green in 2001, but they were over 163 days later

Showing off to Letterman might have been life-changing for Drew, but that doesn’t mean everything changed for her after that moment. One thing that seemed to stay the same was Barrymore’s difficulty at making a marriage last. In 2001, she tied the knot with Tom Green, who she met while filming the action-comedy movie ‘Charlie’s Angels.’

Although this union lasted longer than the one she had with Thomas, the pair still never made it to their first anniversary. This time, the end came after 163 days as husband and wife. With two failed marriages before she’d even hit her 30s, Drew might have been wondering if she’d ever make things last with a man. It can’t have been much of a confidence boost for her.

The couple had to deal with a ton of hardships during their short time together

Perhaps things between Drew and Tom might have gone a little smoother if the pair hadn’t faced a ton of hardships during their brief time together. One thing that put them through the wringer was Green’s reported cancer diagnosis, which he thankfully overcame. Something else that really put them through it was a house fire that left them with $700,000 worth of damage.

Thankfully, neither of them was harmed during the incident. However, things reportedly could have turned out very differently if it weren’t for their dog. Apparently, it was the animal banging on the bedroom door that woke them up and alerted them to the fire. Who knows how much more disastrous the fire could have been if the pair were never aware of it.

Her third marriage proved to be far more successful than the first two

They say that third time’s usually the charm, and that’s likely what Drew Barrymore was hoping when she walked down the aisle once again. This time, she was tying the knot to Will Kopelman, an art consultant who came into her life at the perfect time. Although she didn’t have the best experiences as a married woman, Drew was still optimistic that she could make a marriage work.

She simply needed to tie the knot with the right man, which she was sure Kopelman was. As it turned out, this relationship was one of the best that she’d ever had. The fact that the pair actually made it to their first anniversary was certainly a good sign. What’s more, it was with Will that Drew finally became a parent.

Drew lived with postpartum depression for six months after having her second child

Unfortunately, for all the good that marrying Kopelman brought the actress, their time together wasn’t all sunshine and roses. When Barrymore gave birth to her second child, Frankie, she suffered from postpartum depression. Apparently, this lasted for six months and really hit her hard.

She admitted to People magazine that the diagnosis caught her off guard because she didn’t have any issues after welcoming her first child, Olive. She says that she “really got under the cloud” and understood how difficult it is to cope with such overwhelming sadness. Thankfully, she managed to overcome it and became all the more grateful for the time she got to spend with her children. Not everyone in that position makes it out the other side quite so successfully.

Barrymore felt out of her depth with parenting because of her own childhood

For Drew, there was a lot of excitement that came with becoming a parent for the first time. However, with that excitement was a ton of fear. After all, she didn’t exactly grow up in a typical family environment. Her father was absent, while her mother encouraged bad behavior that led her to hit rock bottom.

The last thing she wanted was for either of her kids to go through the same experiences that she did when she was younger. However, how could Drew avoid repeating those mistakes when it was all she knew? Barrymore found that she had to learn a lot when it came to parenting, much of which she picked up after the kids arrived. However, she seems to have done a solid job so far.

She intends to be honest with her kids, including about her own troubled childhood

There is no right way to parent a child, and Drew Barrymore has undoubtedly made some mistakes with her own kids. However, one thing she’s not going to do is lie to them. She could easily hide her past from them, but she believes it’s more beneficial to be honest about everything instead. After all, she’s made it to where she is now, despite everything she dealt with as a child.

While Drew doesn’t want them to feel like they can copy her past behavior, she does want them to see that even when life seems awful, your troubles don’t necessarily last forever. Things could have turned out very differently for Barrymore, but she never lost hope that the future could be brighter.

Drew regrets appearing in Woody Allen’s film after his daughter’s accusations against him

When Drew opened up to E! News about being honest with her kids, she also confessed to not having regrets in life. However, that’s not technically true. While the actress doesn’t necessarily feel shame about her childhood or the way she behaved when she was younger, there is at least one decision she regrets. That’s the decision to appear in one of Woody Allen’s movies.

In 1996, she starred in the musical film ‘Everyone Says I Love You,’ which Allen directed. It came out several years after his daughter accused him of abuse, which he was never found guilty of. Barrymore says she was gaslighted into believing what people told her about him, which is why she agreed to be in his movie.

Her third marriage ended in divorce after almost four years together

For a time, Drew Barrymore seemed to have the perfect family life. She had a loving husband and two wonderful children that she treasured more than anything. Unfortunately, just when it seemed like her years of failed relationships were finally behind her, everything fell apart. After almost four years of wedded bliss, the couple announced that they were separating.

It was quite a surprise, given that Kopelman had managed what no man ever had with Barrymore before. However, even though their relationship lasted far longer than any other, they still couldn’t make things work forever. There are seemingly no hard feelings between the pair, and they still communicate regularly, given that they share two children together. However, the two of them simply weren’t meant to be.

Drew Barrymore was in a dark place after the split, but she managed to get out of it

It’s been more than half a decade since Drew’s divorce, so she’s in a good place now. However, when the relationship first broke down, her situation was quite the opposite. She told Chelsea Handler that she felt like “the biggest failure” when she couldn’t make the marriage work. Barrymore faced a lot of pressure to ensure this union lasted, given how quickly the others had ended.

Unfortunately, if the spark was gone, there wasn’t much she could do to get it back. The separation apparently left her in a “very dark and fearful place” that could have reignited past issues. Fortunately, she managed to work through the pain to keep her life from falling apart. Starring in the horror-comedy series ‘Santa Clarita Diet’ reportedly helped with that.