Fans of Drew Barrymore know the actress had a tumultuous and messy upbringing, but that doesn't mean she's afraid to look back on the early days of her life and all of its complications.
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Having had many of her ups and downs in front of the camera, the star has rarely shied away from speaking candidly about her difficult relationship with her parents, and starting working in Hollywood at such an early age.
During a conversation Uninterrupted's The Shop series, which is produced by LeBron James and Maverick Carter, Drew sat down with fellow actor Idris Elba, Paul Rabil, Kyrie Irving, Paul Rivera, and Maverick, and did not hold back when it came to speaking about her father's absence during her childhood.
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Her father, John Barrymore, comes from a long line of legendary Hollywood actors, but the actress was raised by her mother, Jaid Barrymore, by herself.
When she was asked how she first became an actress, she credited the Barrymores, though noted how her father was failing to uphold the acting legacy given his propension to the radical hippie lifestyle.
She admitted: "They were all dead and long done, and my dad was a drug addict and he didn't wear shoes."
© Photo: Getty ImagesJohn and Jaid's relationship was continuously on and off
Recalling the perception she had of her father at a young age, she explained: "He was really crazy but like, an awesome character and sort of like Gollum meets Oscar Wilde on drugs."
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However cool he might have seemed to her though, she admitted: "He was just so cool and fascinating and I could tell at a young age, 'Oh this guy is not capable of [expletive].'"
© Photo: Getty ImagesDrew grew up looking up at her father's relatives, who were all actors
Detailing her resolution to her father's absence, she remembers deciding early on: "Let's just love him for who he is and not expect anything from him."
Drew became estranged from both her parents in her early teens, before making amends with them later in life. Her father passed away from cancer aged 72 in 2004, and though she grew up not having a relationship with him, she recalls in her book, Wildflower, repairing their relationship prior to his death, and even taking care of him and paying his medical bills.
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