Even though Drew Barrymore’s early exposure to the spotlight helped her grow into the celebrity she is today, it has nonetheless had an impact on some aspects of her life. But, just as she was about to hit rock bottom, she met her guardian angel, Cameron Diaz, who taught her how to shine again and value herself for who she truly is.
How Drew’s life was different before meeting Cameron
Universal Pictures / Amblin Entertainment/Collection Christophel / East News
Since appearing in a commercial when she was only 11 months old, Drew Barrymore has shown a great deal of acting talent. She also happens to come from a family of actors who have achieved outstanding success in the arts. But the public didn’t get to see Barrymore at her best until Steven Spielberg’s E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, where she played Gertie.
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Barrymore rose to fame as an endearing 7-year-old, but when she turned 9, things changed dramatically. Because of her mother’s influence, Barrymore was frequently put in situations that a child her age shouldn’t be in, and she began to develop destructive behaviors.
“When I was 13, that was probably the lowest,” Barrymore said. “Just knowing that I really was alone. I was very angry.” That was when her mother placed her in a mental health facility so she could get her mind off things. Despite her initial disdain for the place, she had changed significantly by the time she left and made the tough decision to formally separate herself from her toxic parent.
Drew and Cameron met and they bound themselves for life.
Drew was now free from any restrictions and ready to take charge of her life and start over. She did not know that soon she would meet someone who would accompany her in the most significant moments of her life.
One day, adolescent Drew was working in a coffee shop when she happened to serve at Cameron Diaz’s table. “We met when I was 14, and she was 16. I was working at a coffeehouse, and she was a junior model,” Barrymore revealed. “She’s still my bestie and sistie.”
After that, everything changed for them: they became each other’s sidekicks. Drew was able to reclaim her life thanks to Cameron, who loved Drew so much that when she was cast in Charlie’s Angels, she specifically requested that Drew be cast as well. They became closer than ever while filming that film, and together with Lucy Liu, they forged a friendship that has lasted to the present day.
Cameron and Drew have been there for each other through good and bad times. Drew was there to wipe Cameron’s tears after her multiple breakups, and the actress was there for Drew when she divorced Will Kopelman, with whom she has 2 daughters.
And, despite being 2 successful Hollywood actresses, the 2 live their friendship as if they were anyone else, with all the benefits and drawbacks that come with it. “When we would sit around and talk, it was always heartbreak, love, life, loss — it was never vanity or career.”
After so many years, they still maintain their friendship.
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In Hollywood, friendships and unions come and go, but Cameron Diaz and Drew Barrymore’s relationship has endured all the usual stereotypes for more than 30 years. “The reason we are such good friends is that it’s real, and we go through real stuff with each other. It’s not a Hollywood fairy tale.”
As they have stated repeatedly, their friendship is based on the most basic of activities, ones that all friends enjoy doing together, like cooking, shopping, and gossiping. “We send each other videos of ourselves from our closets of us getting dressed, dancing around, and sharing information,” Barrymore confessed. “That’s our form of communication.”
There is nothing that Drew and Cameron haven’t accomplished or gone through together. “We’ve experienced birth, life, marriage, divorce, highs and lows, work, boyfriends, friends, travel, there is nothing we haven’t done together,” Barrymore has declared about their bond.
When they happened to meet in that coffee shop by chance years ago, they could never have imagined building such a tight friendship, but these 2 incredible women have proven that that’s how the best connections begin.
Do you have a friend you’ve known for a long time? How do you keep your friendship strong and enduring?
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