Here's What Drew Barrymore Wishes She Could Tell Her Younger Self

Being a child star isn't always as glamorous as it seems. There's a sad reason Drew Barrymore was emancipated as a teen, and it had nothing to do with earning enough money to afford her own place. There are arguably more horror stories about child actors than positive ones, and Barrymore is unfortunately an example of the former, even though the beloved star has undeniably done well for herself in her adult years. Per Today, following Barrymore's breakout turn in "E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial," she nabbed the lead in Stephen King adaptation "Firestarter." But, soon, the little girl became more well-known for her rampant drug use than her acting ability. 

During an interview on "Norm Macdonald Has a Show" (via Today), Barrymore described finding fame as a child as "a recipe for disaster." At the same time, Barrymore feels grateful that, by age 14, she'd experimented with essentially everything she possibly could, "Like, midlife crisis, institutionalized, blacklisted, no family, like, got it done, and then got into the cycle of being my own parent, figuring it out," she said. 

Her legal emancipation came around the same time. As Barrymore told The Guardian, she "really had a fear that [she] was going to die at 25." Despite being successful, the youngster felt alone and incredibly angry. Although she's long past that time in her life now, it was still a major learning curve. 

And yet, if Barrymore could go back, she knows her younger self wouldn't heed the warning.

Drew Barrymore has shared the truth about going to a psychiatric ward at 13, admitting it was the kick she needed to sort her life out. According to People, if Barrymore had the opportunity to speak to her younger self, she wouldn't bother because, as the talk show host admitted, "She wouldn't have listened." Nowadays, Barrymore is worlds away from that troubled youngster. As a result, she said, "I have better advice for myself now. I like trying to tell myself to please react with grace. Be on the high road. Don't flip out about everything. Find calm, find peace."

Although Barrymore wishes she could've known that earlier, especially as a struggling child star, she admitted, "I would've never thought those things were possible, nor did I really want them at that time. Now I want them." Back then, all the "Firestarter" star cared about was having fun and being wild, free and rebellious. As for becoming a parent herself, Barrymore admitted she didn't take to it as easily as she had anticipated. "I didn't expect to feel like I was in such a fight or flight mode for a very long period of time. I thought it would be a little more romantic and cozy, and instead I was just terrified," the actor shared with Entertainment Tonight. 

The talk show host memorably told the Daily Mail she didn't grow up with parents, since Barrymore constantly felt like the adult in the equation.