If anyone ever needed to wear hiking boots and a sports bra for a ride in a New York City taxi, it's Drew Barrymore. Although she's already completed her morning jog around the Central Park reservoir with actor Luke Wilson, her boyfriend since July 1996, she's not finished running for the day. She briskly exits her hotel, dodges a pack of waiting paparazzi and fans and throws herself into a cab, ready to begin the second leg of today's Drew drag race.
"Go! Go!" she urges the driver as the photographers close in. The cab pulls away, and she gives the fading crowd the tiniest of farewell waves.
Ever since she stunned "Scream" audiences last year by dying in the movie's (literally) gut-wrenching opening scene, Drew hasn't stopped running, climbing, leaping and, especially, working. The year promises to be a memorable one for the actress: She's starring in the romantic comedy "The Wedding Singer" with Adam Sandler; "Home Fries" with boyfriend Luke, due out in April; and this summer's big-screen version of the age-old Cinderella story with Anjelica Huston. In addition, her production company, Flower Films, Inc., is gearing up to work on its first feature film.
As the cab cruises down Fifth Avenue, Drew talks about her whirlwind schedule. For her recently wrapped role as a revamped Cinderella, she spent four months in France. She took the part because the romantic fairy tale "was such a calling to me in my heart and soul--I had to do it," she says.
After finishing up in France, she spent Thanksgiving with Luke at his family's Texas home (he's also there filming the upcoming movie "Rushmore"), then pressed on to New York to record the voice of Akima, a spaceship pilot in the futuristic animated feature "Planet Ice", alongside Bill Pullman and Matt Damon.
Right now, she's headed downtown to the studio of Lane Smith, an award-winning children's book illustrator who's helping her with yet another project: designing a T-shirt for charity.
BETTER THAN EVER
The actress has come a long way since her tumultuous teen years, which were dominated by well-publicized drug problems. At 23, she's jazzed, she's radiant and, unlike the wild child she was a few years back, she's finally grounded. "I think it's fulfilling to constantly reinvent yourself-not just for yourself but for your career," she says. "Who I am as a person is very different than when I was younger."
That's for sure. Today's Drew is not the same Drew who leaped into a marriage that lasted less than two months with L.A. bar owner Jeremy Thomas in 1994; nor is she the same Drew who jumped up on David Letterman's desk and flashed him on national TV in 1995. In fact, the only aspect of Drew that remains the same is her incredibly active mind. Having a conversation with her is like trying to follow a pinball on a jackpot run. In a few short minutes, she's talked about cut-to-sell Christmas trees (she doesn't believe in them), Beck (he leaves her "aflutter") and her new favorite color ("Carmine--it's a bluish red"). While the cab is stuck in traffic, a large man looms suddenly in her window like a Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade balloon. He's holding out a photo of himself and Drew together. Without thinking twice, Drew rolls down the window.
"Hi. How are you?" she says.
"Sign it to Nick," he demands.
"Sure," she replies. "Ugly picture."
"You think so?" he asks, looking slightly offended.
"Of me--not you," she says sweetly, handing back the autographed photo. He takes it, thanks her and retreats.
According to the driver, the guy had followed the cab from the hotel. Drew brushes off the potentially ruffling incident. "It's just the way life is," she says.
An actress practically since birth (she was first cast in a commercial at 11 months), Drew became a household name at the age of seven, when she starred in "E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial", then went on to grow up under the close scrutiny of the media.
Although the attention from ever-present fans and photographers doesn't bother Drew, "The only thing that upsets me about it is how it affects those around me," she says. "I know it's hard for my friends and my boyfriend." She slumps back in her seat. "I try not to be a paranoid person. And my fear is that in trying not to be, I will become oblivious. So I try to maintain a constant balance between being an aware person, and not having it in the front of my brain all the time."
Minutes later, Drew stands in the middle of Lane Smith's studio. A few years ago, while browsing at a bookstore, she found herself drawn to two books: "The Happy Hocky Family" and "Flying Jake". When she realized they were both illustrated by the same man--Lane--she became an instant fan. She called him and told him she'd like to work with him someday. That day has come. Last year, the restaurant Planet Hollywood asked Drew to design a T-shirt to be sold at its stores and pledged a portion of the proceeds to the charities of her choice. She immediately asked Lane to collaborate on the design, which has evolved into an image of a mermaid, animals and the female symbol.
And now, here it is--Drew's vision, tacked up on the wall. Lane shines a light on the sketch to give Drew a better look. Arms twirling, boots firmly planted in a lunge position, Drew starts to scream. "Oh, no! Oh, my God! It's awesome!"
DOING HER PART
Drew puts that same hearty level of enthusiasm into the two worthy causes she has selected for this design to benefit. Since December 1996, she's been the national spokesperson for the Female Health Foundation (FHF), an organization that educates young people about how to prevent sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) and unintended pregnancies. She is also a volunteer for Southern California's Wildlife Waystation, a sanctuary for sick, abandoned and abused wild animals.
In another cab on the way back to her hotel, Drew talks about her commitment to the FHF, and about how women can avoid STDs and pregnancies by taking control and communicating with their boyfriends. "I just think it's wonderfully empowering that women can take it into their own hands," she says.
Is she talking about Girl Power? As in the Spice Girls' catchy motto?
"With Girl Power, I worry," she says. "I wouldnt' want it to be 'Girl Power 'cause boys suck.'" Drew looks out the window, her blue-green eyes shining in the dusk light. "Girl Power. Boy Power. All Power," she amends.
Mary Ann Leeper, chairman and director of FHF in Chicago, says Drew has "a way of reaching out to young adults. And I think she recognizes how terribly important the issue is today. One in five people over 12 years old has herpes. And one in three college students has a sexually transmitted disease."
"Every person has the opportunity to make a huge difference," says Drew. One way the actress helps out is through public appearances: She's scheduled to visit one or more college campuses in the Chicago area soon to speak with students about safe sex and the female condom. Back at her hotel, Drew is once again faced with navigation the sea of fans and photographers who have been waiting for her. She gets out of the cab and coolly heads for the door.
When 10 or so of them see the star, they start to run for her as a group. But when she turns and faces them with a serene smile on her face, they slow down and approach her one at a time.
"Hi, Drew," the first one says.
"How are you?" she asks.
"Will you sign it to John?" he requests.
Drew beams. "Sure."
By Trish Deitch Rohrer. Copyright 1998 Teen People Magazine