Drew Barrymore defends working as child star: 'The work gave me a life' Emlyn TravisSeptember 20, 2025 at 4:40 AM 0 Frank Edwards/Fotos Internationa/Getty; Matt Winkelmeyer/FilmMagic Drew Barrymore in 1983; Drew Barrymore in 2025 Drew Barrymore is defending her experience starting her acting career ...
- - Drew Barrymore defends working as child star: 'The work gave me a life'
Emlyn TravisSeptember 20, 2025 at 4:40 AM
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Frank Edwards/Fotos Internationa/Getty; Matt Winkelmeyer/FilmMagic
Drew Barrymore in 1983; Drew Barrymore in 2025
Drew Barrymore is defending her experience starting her acting career at a young age, noting that it gave her the "structure" that she needed during her turbulent childhood years.
The actress, who appeared in her first commercial at just 11 months old, explained why she is an advocate for allowing children to take on such responsibilities during a conversation with Misty Copeland on Friday's episode of The Drew Barrymore Show.
"I know what that's like to grow up where you are craving stability [and] you feel the burden of where and how are we going to pay for the next thing," Barrymore said. "I think because I started so young, there was a little bit of a misconception — and my family was a big acting family back in the day — none of that [structure] was there. I grew up with a single mom and she put me to work and she worked as well."
The Drew Barrymore Show/Ash Bean
Drew Barrymore and Misty Copeland on 'The Drew Barrymore Show'
Barrymore was only 7 when she starred as Gertie in Steven Spielberg's E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial. In addition to appearing in films like Firestarter and Cat's Eye throughout her childhood, the actress recently revealed that she also worked as a server at an NYC restaurant — and once took Michael Douglas' order — at age 11.
The daytime talk show host noted that listening to Copeland talk about ballet and how it taught her structure, discipline, and "did not resemble some of the fears that took place at home" led her to have "one of the greatest epiphanies of my life."
"I have defended the work I've done my whole life because I think people think working young can get you into so much trouble," Barrymore said. "It wasn't the work. The work gave me a life. It was me! I'm responsible for my own mistakes. Thank you for sharing that, because it just healed me. Work was always a good thing!"
Copeland, who became the first African American principal dancer with the American Ballet Theater in 2015, added that she believed there was "so much value in young people being exposed to structure in that way," especially when it involves creativity.
Barrymore agreed that she grew up working in a "extremely creative" environment.
"But! A schedule, you have to be there everyday, there's no room for being late, you learn your lines, you are on point — you were literally on point!" she said, causing Copeland to laugh at her ballet reference. "And you're in a team. It's not about you, so you let something go, the domino effects are not positive."
Barrymore continued, "It's a tremendous amount of pressure, but it was the great pressure that really helped me and gave me an anchor that I didn't have elsewhere."
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Copeland confessed that she felt the same way. "I say it often: I think ballet saved me in so many ways," she said. "And, again, that's why it's so important for me to give back to the ballet community but also to the Black and Brown community and give exposure and give opportunity, because it's not something that has been told that belongs to us."
"You changed that," Barrymore said. "You really did. You gave everybody something to believe in and believe in themselves. I mean, you really have changed the world, Misty. It's incredible."
The Drew Barrymore Show/Ash Bean
'The Drew Barrymore Show'
Barrymore has spoken in detail about her unique upbringing and how it impacted her both personally and professionally on her talk show, previously admitting that she was "jealous" of children that were able to call their parents to pick them up from school because she struggled to get a hold of hers. (She would go on to get emancipated from her mom, Jaid, at age 14 in 1989.)
In an April episode, Barrymore broke down in tears as she reflected on feeling like she'd "never stopped running" in her life as she grew from a child star to a teenage celebrity and then adult actress.
"Since I was a kid, I've just been running. And I never stopped running. And we're all go, go, go…. Sometimes the permission — just the word permission — to slow down is something since childhood I have not really understood," Barrymore confessed at the time. "It's so funny to me how important that is and how valuable it's becoming to me."
The Drew Barrymore Show airs weekdays on CBS.
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