Drew Barrymore: I'm 'Glad I Lived a Full Life' Before Motherhood
Courtesy Allure
Decades after she first appeared as the pigtailed darling in E.T., Drew Barrymore is embracing all of her life experiences since stepping into the spotlight — even the more revealing ones.
Recalling her 1995 Playboy photo shoot, the actress admits going through the younger years in the public eye isn’t ideal — director Steven Spielberg sent over a quilt and a note that read “cover up” — but it’s all been well worth it.
“It’s embarrassing to go through any rebellious stage in front of people that you love and respect, and yet I’m glad I did,” Barrymore tells Allure in their January issue.
“I’m glad I lived such a full life before I settled down into a family because I got to enjoy it and get it out of my system.”
And now life at 37 is much more laidback: Months before becoming parents, Barrymore and Will Kopelman tied the knot in a backyard ceremony in June. And while the couple grew up with two vastly different childhoods, their interests are strikingly similar, she says.
“We love art and music and adventures, and we laugh our asses off together,” the newlywed shares.
Their relationship was only further strengthened by the addition of their first child, daughter Olive, whom the couple welcomed in September.
“[Will’s] my home now … It makes me almost want to cry,” Barrymore explains. “He’s the father of my child and I’m the mother of his child. I’m finally a part of a family and it’s a miracle. I’m a Kopelman now. I have stationery that says ‘Drew Barrymore Kopelman.'”
Embarking on the journey of motherhood hasn’t fazed Barrymore one bit. “I will always commit. It’s like [my new] makeup line: I can tell you every single detail about how and why we got here,” she says.
“I want to be that kind of mother. I’m that kind of friend. I’m that kind of producer. I do everything in this life-or-death way.”
Everything, that is, except achieving the perfect body. Although the new mom has certainly bounced back after baby, stepping out looking trimmed and toned in November, she says she’ll never be one to shine in a two-piece swimsuit.
“I cannot live a life where I’m deprived. I’d much rather be five, 10 pounds heavier,” Barrymore muses. “With my luck, I’ll get myself to that perfect goal weight, and I’ll get hit by a bus. Then I’ll be like … looking at myself from some afterlife going, ‘You idiot. You could have had that agnolotti, dummy.'”
As for her future with her 3-month-old baby girl, the first-time mom can’t wait to share some of her biggest accomplishments — and life lessons — with her little one.
“My first goal is to show [Olive] E.T. — I cannot wait until she’s old enough — and then Ever After, because I want her to see that you can rescue yourself,” Barrymore says.
Courtesy Allure
— Anya Leon