She was once Hollywood’s fallen angel, now she’s its brightest star. By Donna Walker-Mitchell.
Barrymore has been breaking rules as long as she can remember and the 35-year-old actress/ producer/director has no plans to change. She is a rebel with a cause. This maverick with the green eyes follows the mantra in almost every aspect of her life, whether it’s refusing to follow fad diets, making bold fashion choices for red carpet events or embracing her age and everything that comes with it.
The rebel is present when Barrymore arrives at a Beverly Hills hotel for this interview with
madison, dressed in a vintage T-shirt with Minnie Mouse on the front, a black leather Catherine Malandrino jacket, faded skinny Stella McCartney jeans and men’s boots. “I just don’t think there are any rules in fashion,” she says matter-of-factly. “I love to mix things up and layer and combine patterns that definitely don’t belong together. Well… supposedly they don’t belong together, but I disagree.”
While Barrymore clearly adores fashion, she isn’t one to slavishly adhere to the latest looks on the runway. “I don’t like rules,” she says of her sartorial decisions, whether on the red carpet or in her daily life around Los Angeles. “I think there’s a huge discrepancy between the runway and the red carpet and I hate it because I grew up in film and I love theatrics, drama and visionaries. What comes down a runway can be so dreamlike and fantastical, but all of a sudden, wear it on the red carpet and everyone is like, ‘Oh, she took a risk.’ I think, ‘No, that’s great.’ ”
Loving fashion, but not taking it too seriously is key for the star. “Don’t you think people need to have more fun with fashion?” she asks, a quizzical look coming across her face. “I don’t necessarily keep up with current fashion. I just like what I like… I don’t follow trends and I try to dress to suit my mood.”
If that means a dress she wears on the red carpet is not praised, so be it. Barrymore is happy to take the heat for taking a risk. “Here’s the thing,” she says, smiling. “I’d rather fail and die on a red carpet having done something fun that’s inspiring. I like to wear things that are very ’60s, you know, play a character. Or I like to have wild hair. It’s fun to play.”
Barrymore has been “playing”, as she likes to call it, since she was 11 months old, when she starred in a dog food television commercial. After being bitten by the dog during the audition, onlookers thought she would cry. But she laughed and was subsequently hired.
Acting is in Barrymore’s blood. While the term “Hollywood royalty” often gets bandied about, Barrymore is the real deal. Her lineage includes the acclaimed Ethel Barrymore (her great-aunt) and John Barrymore, her grandfather. She was born to actors John Drew and Ildiko Jaid Barrymore in California in 1975. Her godparents are Sophia Loren and Steven Spielberg.
It was her godfather, Spielberg, who cast her in her breakthrough role as the cherubic Gertie in
E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial when she was seven years old and Barrymore feels her life was predestined to be in the movie business.
“I love what I do, I always have. I’m creatively passionate and I love every detail. I’m involved in everything I do. I never just sit back and hope for the best. I love playing in the game with everybody,” she says.
To read our full interview with Drew Barrymore, pick up the October issue of
madison magazine at your nearest newsagents or
click here to buy online.
Click through the gallery to see the best of Drew's ever-changing style.