Though most of us think of Drew Barrymore primarily as an actress with an impressive body of work (and a 35-year career in film—remarkable, considering she’s a mere 37 years old!), her profile has recently expanded pretty massively. Firstly, she became a wife and a mother (she tied the knot last year to art consultant Will Kopelman, son of the former CEO of Chanel—naturally, she wore a custom design down the aisle—and she gave birth to daughter Olive in October). She’s also just released wine—a Pinot Grigio varietal to be exact—in honor of her family, and an affordable makeup line called Flower in conjunction with Walmart.
We caught up with Drew last night at Flower’s launch at New York City bar and restaurant Willow Road, where she was happy to chat about her new ventures, her passion for family and—we couldn’t not ask—some serious style mishaps.
StyleCaster: Between the makeup and the wine, you have a lot going on! How did it all get started?
Drew Barrymore: A little something for the inside, and a little something for the outside, I say! They strangely intersected at the same time, and I was so torn because I never put my name to things. I am incredibly wary of celebrity culture. I’ve worked in this business 35 years, I don’t even know what a celebrity is. I’m like, “No, I’m not a celebrity—I’ll be anything but a celebrity. I’ll be a circus wrangler, but not a celebrity!” I don’t want to do a lot of things. I haven’t! Since I was a kid, I’ve been very wary of that.
I had trouble in the beginning with CoverGirl [being a celebrity]. I got to know them first, then they made me co-creative director, and I was like, “This is the best working relationship ever!” These two endeavors changed my life and they happened at the same time. I was like, “Oh my God, I never do anything!” Then they were happening at the same time. But timing is everything, and everything happens for a reason. I’m realizing that I love life so much, and I just want to do the things you actually do in life which is drink wine and wear makeup. This took years in the making to realize that succinct thought.
You’ve had a major two years. How have marriage and motherhood contributed to your desire to try new things?
It was good timing for that, too. It’s nice to come home to my husband. It’s nice to have him there. Film is a tough, tortured world. You come home and you’re all screwed up from your character. It’s nice to come home in a great mood and working on beautiful things, like beauty. Ironically, my husband’s family is from that world, one of the greatest, most respected pioneers of that world—and that’s ironic. Timing is everything. Things happen in a strange way in the universe. It takes a lot of effort, and a lot of it isn’t under your control. It’s serendipitous. It’s nice to work alongside my family. Family comes first right now. It’s the perfect thing to be doing—romantic endeavors work so well with family.
You’ve been in the business a long time and done tons of red carpets. What do you consider an ultimate fashion faux pas?
Oh God, that f*cking green Gucci dress [at the 2006 Golden Globes]. Never wear a high neck with a high waist and have boobs. You go out the next day in a low cut blouse and a lower belt and your body looks completely different. I always regret that dress, but in a good way! It’s like, “Oh, wow, some angles make a difference.” I went on “Saturday Night Live” and made fun of myself. It was the best purge a woman can ever do. To have Tina Fey and Amy Poehler poke fun at you, that’s how to get rid of a demon. On the other end, the best fashion moments you can have are anything you’ve tried that makes you feel good—it doesn’t matter what people think. If you liked it, it worked!
Photo by Donato Sardella for WWD
