Drew Barrymore has always looked up to Steven Spielberg as a father figure, but when they were producing the legendary movie E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial in 1982, he politely turned down her plea to be her real father. Barrymore was only seven years old at the time, but she had already been through a lot of upheaval and maltreatment at home.
In a new profile for Vulture, she talked about how important Spielberg was to her life, saying that he was the only person who ever acted like a parent to her. He said no to adopting her, but he did agree to be her godfather, which would create a friendship that would last a lifetime.
Barrymore’s father, actor John Drew Barrymore, had problems with alcohol and was renowned for being unpredictable. She said to talk about someone who wasn’t trying to get ahead in their work. He said, “I will burn this fucking dynasty to the ground.” In such situation, Spielberg became a source of stability and caring. He made it his job on site to keep Barrymore’s innocence and sense of wonder safe.
He wanted to keep her believe that E.T. was a real live thing. A few weeks into filming, Barrymore saw a group of men working the puppet and told them to leave. Spielberg told her, “It’s okay, E.T. is so special,” because he didn’t want to ruin the illusion. Eight people help E.T. I am the director, and I only have one.
Even when the cameras were off, the job continued. In order for Barrymore to have lunch with her extraterrestrial friend, Spielberg instructed the technicians to keep E.T. moving during breaks. According to Vanity Fair, she occasionally spent the weekends at Spielberg’s house, where he bought her a cat named Gertie and took her to Knott’s Berry Farm and Disneyland. Despite their small size, these actions provided her with brief moments of happiness and normalcy during an otherwise chaotic childhood.
Actor Drew Barrymore hugs director Steven Spielberg.
Credit; Steve Granitz/WireImage
Her life was already beginning to suffer from that volatility. By the time she was ten, Barrymore was a marijuana user. She started using cocaine at the age of twelve and checked herself into a recovery facility. Spielberg ordered her to remove her red lipstick when she occasionally showed up on the set of E.T.
Spielberg told Vulture that she was going to places she should have only heard about, staying up much past her bedtime, and leading a life at such a young age that, in my opinion, robbed her of her infancy. But since I wasn’t her father, I felt incredibly powerless. I could only serve as a type of advisor to her.
The two have stayed close over the years. Barrymore has had important events in her life that Spielberg has been a part of, and she still talks about him with love and thanks. Their romance started on the bright lights of a Hollywood set, but it has lasted through many changes in their personal and professional lives.