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This
talented beauty talks about saving animals, fearing the internet and
teaching teens about real girl power.
You know how sometimes just
seeing a photo of someone makes you happy? Well, that’s how we feel
about Drew. This girl’s packed more into her 24 years than some people
do into an entire life-she even co-produced her latest flick, Never
Been Kissed- and she’s not afraid to admit that she’s made her
fair share of mistakes. Maybe that’s why we think she’s probably one
of the most well adjusted actors around. Witty, natural and gorgeously
normal-shapes, we’re appointing the newly-single drew Poster Girl for
the new millennium. And if thatdoesn’t give you the warm
fuzzies, just read this interview, where she talks about sticking with
comedy, her belief that everything has a soul and her thoughts on Drew
love. (we couldn’t resist.)
TC:
You’ve had a pretty eventful love life: An impulsive 51-day marriage
(to English bar owner Jeremy Thomas), two engagements (to actor Leland
Hayward from Outbreak and Beverly Hills 90210 star Jamie Walters) and
high profile boyfriends like Hole’s guitarist Eric Erlandson and Luke
Wilson, your Home Fries co-star.
Drew: I think actors are chaotic, crazy people. There’s an
insanity that comes along with the profession that’s very hard to deal
with, especially when it comes to relationships.
In what
way?
I’m trying to be a less complicated girlfriend. I’m learning how to
think first and speak later, to say something eloquently instead of
using the acid tongue. I’m much better at relationships now because
I’ve learned some of the fundamental rules about how to behave as a
human being in a relationship- but it takes a lot of work, and I still
have more to learn.
What did
your first marriage teach you?
That there’s a very big difference between a wedding and a marriage.
Marriage is about commitment and longevity. My marriage was the biggest
mistake I ever made. I could never explain it, nor do I care to try, but
I learned important lessons from it.
What kind
of lessons?
That it’s important to ask yourself “Do I feel like a good person or
a bad person when I’m with my love?”. I’ve had a few great
relationships, but I’m stubborn. To realize I’m in love requires a
self-examination that I haven’t usually been willing to do.
Do you
think you’ll ever get married again?
I don’t know. I think marriage puts a tremendous amount of
pressure on two people in love- saying you have to be together for the
rest of your lives can make you stop appreciating the days from that
moment on. I don’t think marriage as an institution has evolved such
as life has.
Would you
call yourself a hopeless romantic?
[Laughs] Absolutely. I’m a quixotic romantic to the third
degree.
Let’s
talk about your movies- Never Been Kissed is the latest in a
string of comedies. Coincidence?
Right now, I don’t want to do anything heavy. Making a movie,
you have to play a character for so long- you live and breath her. It
affects your mind, and I want to be in a happy place these days.
You’re happiest when you have love and when you’re laughing. I love
to laugh and my favourite people are the ones who make me laugh. So
I’ve always loved comedies, and I only want to do that now.
You have
your own production company now, and Never Been Kissed is your
first movie as a producer-star. How was that?
I was on time and under budget. I wanted to make a good first
impression. Producing is hard work, and my ambition is to write and
direct movies, which is even harder.
You played
a pregnant character in the movie Home Fries. Did anything
surprise you about the experience? Like making you aware of your body in
different ways?
Actually, I’ve played pregnant before, in Boys On the Side,
but this time I was weighted down with a 40-pound stomach. It was very
heavy and uncomfortable- you walk differently, it’s harder to move
around-but it made me more real.
Did it stir
any maternal longings?
Yes! I can’t wait to be a mother and be faced with the demons- to put
the child first and yourself second. All that matters is to protect and
love your child. I don’t think my parents did that, but I wasn’t an
easy child, either.
Have you
seen your Web sites?
No, I don’t look at the Internet. Never been on it. I’m too much of
a dork. I get scared by computers. But I know the sites exist, and I’m
honoured.
Your body
image is so inspirational to girls these days- but not many people know
that you had breast reductions surgery in your teens, right?
Yes. I’ve never regretted doing it because I love my body the way it
is now. When your breasts are huge, you become ver self conscious
because men look at them so much. And your back hurts. And whatever you
wear, you look heavy in it.
After your
famous part in E.T., you had a pretty turbulent childhood that involved
drinking and doing drugs before you were 10. Then at 14 years old, you
were clean and sober- and jobless. How hard was it making a comeback?
There were a few years when I wasn’t around. I was on the Hollywood
blacklist and worked at a music store and a coffeehouse. I scraped the
toilets and washed the floor. Then I realised I had to go for my dream
and return to acting. I made it through sheer ambition and passion. In
1995 I made Boys on the Side, and that really opened the door for
me. Batman Forever, Everyone Says I love you and Scream followed.
Then I had my first hit as an adult with The Wedding Singer.
Do people
get weird about your life story?
People look at my life and go , “You’ve been really messed up”.
I’m like “Yeah, but look what I got to do!” Who I am today is very
different person from who I was when I was younger. I’m much happier
than I’ve ever been. I’ve learned so much about acting, about being
a woman, about how to take care of myself physically. The older I get
the younger I feel , because I felt so much responsibility growing up. I
was terrified because I didn’t have a family- I was so scared that at
any moment, I wouldn’t have a place to stay or food to eat or
anything.
Describe
your life today.
It’s bliss. I’ve got a lovely house, two dogs, chickens, a rooster-
I’ve got a property where all the animals run free.
You’re a
die-hard animal lover- you don’t wear leather and you don’t eat any
animal products.
I love animals, so I can’t eat them. I can’t even eat fish because I
snorkel and I’d feel guilty if I ate a fish. I’m an animist, someone
who believes that everthign has a soul- inanimate objects too. Like a
salad or a wash cloth. So I’m going to be concerned about a wash
cloth. I make sure I treat everybody and everything I come into contact
with respectfully. I mean, I don’t eat burgers, but I don’t judge
others because they don’t believe what I believe. I’m concerned with
peoples feelings.. I never want to get to the point where it’s all
about my needs and to hell with anybody else.
In Home
Fries, you played a waitress in a burger joint. How did Drew the
Vegetarian feel about flipping burgers?
When you make a movie , you have to check your morality at the door.
I’ve played a meat eater, but I’ve also murdered people in movies. I
wouldn’t do either in real life.
You work
with animal rescue foundations and organizations dedicated to educating
teen girls about issues like preventing diseases and unintended
pregnancies. You’re so active, you make the rest of us feel lazy!
The thing I love about Elizabeth Taylor is that she made her fame
matter, you know? Whenever I feel show business is shallow, I remember I
can use my fame to do philanthropic work. I’m an animal activist, I
visit collage campuses and speak to students about safe sex and the
female condom, I encourage people to vote and get involved. Women have
to take control and communicate with their boyfriends. It’s empowering
that women can take that into their own hands.
And
finally, do you consider yourself a cool person?
No! I’m not one of the hip people. I stick out like a sore thumb in a
crowd of cool people. I’m such a geek it’s embarrassing.
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