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Top 10 Drew Barrymore

From wild child to certified business woman, Drew Barrymore has certainly packed a lot into her career. Full of highs and lows, Barrymore’s approachable and ditsy style have made her one of the best loved actresses of her generation. Now branching into producing and directing, Drew’s career is most definitely on top.

Her Top 10 Films

E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial (1982)

Life in front of the camera started early for Drew Barrymore – appearing in a dog food advert while only eleven months old, a feature film debut in Altered States (1980), and then, still at the tender age of 7, her role as Gertie in E.T. Steven Spielberg’s now legendary fantasy propelled Barrymore into the limelight, and the great man has since said that the experience of working with child actors on the film actually prepared him to become a father.

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Poison Ivy (1992)

Barrymore’s rapid rise to fame came at a price, and a wild party lifestyle littered with drugs and drink landed her in rehab… by the time she was 13. Four years later, she unleashed a sexy new image in the rather risqué film Poison Ivy, playing the title character of a dangerous teenage seductress. The film wasn’t a box office hit but gathered a following in the mid-1990s and has become something of a cult classic.

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Everyone Says I Love You (1996)

Despite director Woody Allen’s reportedly sneaky tactics of only letting on that the film was a musical after his cast signed on, Barrymore’s vocals still don’t appear on the film, after she admitted to being so awful that she didn’t even sing in the shower. Barrymore had to wear a wig because her hair was purple at the time, and joined an ensemble that featured Goldie Hawn, Edward Norton and Julia Roberts.

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Scream (1996)

The first of Wes Craven’s Scream trilogy was a huge critical and financial success. Barrymore was originally cast as Sidney Prescott, the lead role which ultimately went to Neve Campbell, but insisted that she take the smaller role of Casey because audiences would not expect her to be killed off. Craven would apparently tell Barrymore stories of animal cruelty to keep her looking scared and upset throughout filming.

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The Wedding Singer (1998)

By the mid-to-late 90s, Barrymore was officially back in business as a bankable actress, teaming up with Adam Sandler to open this romantic-comedy at no. 2 at the US box office, behind the record-breaking Titanic. The butterfly denim jacket that Barrymore’s character wears throughout actually belonged to the actress; director Frank Coraci liked it so much he told her to wear it as part of her costume. /p> Rent Watch Trailer

Charlie's Angels (2000)

In 1995, Barrymore set up the production company Flower Films and, proving that she’s one smart cookie, bought screen rights to the Charlie's Angels series. A move which would ultimately earn her a cool $40 million. At Barrymore’s insistence, the Angels never use guns, employing some pretty impressive martial arts moves instead, for which she, Cameron Diaz and Lucy Liu had to train eight hours a day for three months to prepare.

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Donnie Darko (2001)

When the production of Donnie Darko stalled, Barrymore’s Flower Films stepped in to provide financial backing, and the actress took the small role of Karen Pomeroy. Although the film didn’t make a big impact at the cinemas, it reached a wide audience through DVD release and now has a huge following.

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Riding in Cars with Boys (2001)

Based on the author Beverly D'Onofrio’s self-penned autobiography of the same name, Barrymore took the central role as a teenage mother dealing with a failed marriage and a drug-addicted father. It was a different character for Barrymore and it paid off; the film won impressive reviews and pulled in the crowds at the cinema. Brittany Murphy co-starred.

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Confessions of a Dangerous Mind (2002)

Written by Charlie Kaufman and directed by George Clooney, this star-studded drama faired pretty well with the critics, even if it didn’t rake in the cash through ticket sales. The budget wasn’t massive though, and both Julia Roberts and Barrymore lowered their salaries – to reportedly $250,000 apiece – to help their friend Clooney keep it down. Brad Pitt and Matt Damon weighed in with cameos for no fee at all.

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50 First Dates (2004)

Reuniting with Adam Sandler for another off-beat romantic comedy, Barrymore also produced, with Flower Films joining Sandler's production company, Happy Madison – mysteriously, the leads/producers decided to shoot most of the film on location in Hawaii. And if you haven’t already seen The Sixth Sense, a word of warning: 50 First Dates gives away the famous plot twist.

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Tegan Kniveton