In a sincere interview with AARP the Magazine, Drew Barrymore revealed the powerful reasons that led her to step away from acting, a decision that surprised many, especially because it happened when her career was at its peak. The actress, known for her iconic role in E.T., shared how a series of personal factors drove her to leave the film sets and rethink her life, aiming to be a more present mother for her daughters and find the independence she longed for.
In her forties, Barrymore began to realize that her professional life was no longer aligned with her personal priorities. As she herself admitted:
"I was in my forties, and I was not learning how to be a healthy and independent individual, nor how to be the mother I dreamed of becoming. So putting myself in other people's shoes did not help me perceive that situation at that moment. And the countless hours I spent making movies were hours I was not sharing with my children. I didn't plan on doing that anymore."
A sacrifice for motherhood
Barrymore's career, which began when she was just a child, was always marked by a life surrounded by cameras and spotlights. However, as time went on, the long shooting days began to steal what she valued most: her time with her daughters, Olive and Frankie. The actress soon realized that this life was not compatible with her role as a mother, and she explained it as follows:
"The countless hours it took me to make movies were hours I didn't spend with my children. I didn't plan on doing that anymore."
This was the turning point that led her to make a radical decision: to put a stop to her acting career in order to focus on being the mother she had always wanted to be.
The personal impact of your divorce
In the same interview, Barrymore also openly talked about the painful divorce she went through in 2016 with Will Kopelman, the father of her daughters. The actress shared how that experience made her feel lost and deeply affected. She recalled how her personal life, which seemed to be falling apart, made her question completely who she was and what she wanted.
"My dream family was falling apart, and I no longer knew how to even walk. I had to grow up all of a sudden in my life, but at that moment, I didn't even understand how old I was. I only knew that my life was very heavy, painful, and sad, and for a long time I felt that way. Although eventually, thanks to God, I was able to recover. I had two children to take care of and I had to figure that out," she confessed.
The search to be herself
Drew is clear that her decision to step away from acting has a lot to do with her need to find her own path, without the pressures or expectations that Hollywood imposes. As she has explained on other occasions, her retreat from the spotlight was not just a professional pause, but a space for herself and to be "nobody but herself."