“To date, the only person in my life who has been a parental figure.” That’s how former child star Drew Barrymore describes director Steven Spielberg. The successful actress and presenter rose to fame in Spielberg’s ET and soon fell into a maelstrom of alcohol and drug abuse. She made her first visit to a rehab clinic when she was just 13.
In a new article about Drew Barrymore, director Spielberg has his say and describes heartbreaking words about how he wanted to protect the then 7-year-old from harm.
Spielberg wanted to preserve Barrymore’s childhood – with the help of ET
In ET, Barrymore played Gertie, Elliott’s little sister, who takes an immediate liking to the wizened alien. So was Barrymore, who saw the alien as a confidant with whom she ate lunch and shared her secrets, according to the Vulture article.
Universal
Drew Barrymore in ET
So Spielberg struggled to maintain the illusion. When Barrymore noticed the many men operating the ET puppet, the director explained to the child:
That’s okay. ET is so special that he has eight assistants. I’m the director and I only have one.
In doing so, Barrymore increasingly viewed Spielberg as a surrogate for her alcoholic and abusive father, John Drew Barrymore, who abandoned the family in her early childhood. She even asked Spielberg if he could be her father what this one is with “no” had to answer.
The filmmaker felt “helpless” at the child star’s situation
Instead of this Spielberg became the godfather of Drew Barrymore, spent weekends with her and gave her a pet. The filmmaker noted that the child did not get enough care from his parents and was exposed to bad influences. Her mother, Ildiko Jaid Barrymore, took the girl to parties and notorious slubs like Studio 54, where drugs were common. Spielberg on this:
She was up way too late, going places she shouldn’t have heard of and living a life at a very young age that robbed her of childhood. Despite it I felt very helpless because I wasn’t her father.
After several rehabs and emancipation from her mother, Barrymore freed herself from the spiral of drugs and alcohol. Today she successfully hosts the talk show The Drew Barrymore Show.
CBS
The Drew Barrymore Show
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