November 1, 2015
Q&A: Drew Barrymore Talks Her New Book, Having A Family
Alicia Rancilio READ TIME: 3 MIN.
The last time Drew Barrymore released a book about her life, it was 1991's "Little Girl Lost," about her troubled childhood.
Her new book is titled "Wildflower," and it reflects the positive changes in her life.
The 40-year-old actress is now married to art consultant Will Kopelman and the mother of two young daughters. She has a beauty line called Flower and runs a production company called Flower Films.
Her new film, "Miss You Already," with Toni Collette opens Nov. 6.
Barrymore says it isn't easy juggling various career demands with being a mother.
"I just don't know any mom who's like, 'Yep, I feel like I've figured it out, I've got this great system and it makes me feel guilt-free,'" she said. "I think it feels really difficult a lot of the time."
Barrymore added: "I think it's positive for my kids to see me working and loving what I do. I want to teach them responsibility and work ethic. I want them to be the kind of kids like, 'Yeah, mom worked.' Not 'work made mom not be around.'"
Barrymore talked about "Wildflower," having a family and the Hollywood pay gap in a recent interview with The Associated Press.
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Associated Press: This book is about your life but it's not really a memoir. Can you talk about that?
Barrymore: It's stories; it's not a memoir. It's thinking about things and times in my life that were meaningful and special. I always wanted to write, and I was never brave enough and I never had the time, which with two kids it's ironic - that gave me the time, but I pushed so many other things aside in my life to be present with my kids that it made me have these windows to write. You get to a certain moment in your life when it's different and you get reflective and I thought, 'Let's try this.'
AP: You write about your family in the book. It must be a great feeling to know that your daughters have a strong family unit.
Barrymore: Will is a good father and he is a good person. Their grandparents are great people. My sister-in-law and her kids are an amazing tribe and unit. There's a whole world set up there that I really respect and admire. They also will have family with each other because they are sisters. I always idealized sibling relationships. Just to have someone in life you can look to and have this amazing connection to whether you're close or not is extraordinary. They have me, who is not going anywhere - ever. I am unbreakably in love with them and will be every single day for the rest of my life, no matter how nuts they drive me.
AP: You're a boss at your production company and also an actress. What do you say about the Hollywood pay gap?
Barrymore: Obviously, it should be equal and that's that. I don't think there's much more to say on it. It's just a matter of fact. However, I feel so grateful for the opportunities I got along the way because being a young twenty-something and asking to be given the opportunity to do films and work in this business and be trusted ... however much I always want to support everyone, I also want to always remain very, very grateful.