'I Felt So Much Shame': Drew Barrymore Gets Emotional Discussing Blackout Drinking Past

This post discusses some plot details from Blink Twice.

Drew Barrymore found herself reflecting on her past alcohol use after catching a screening of Zo Kravitzs new movie.

The talk show host became visibly emotional during an interview with Kravitz, who appeared on Tuesdays episode of The Drew Barrymore Show to promote her directorial debut, Blink Twice .

The movies portrayal of drug and alcohol use, Barrymore said, triggered memories of her own experiences.

I used to be a blackout drinker, and so watching this film was an extraordinary journey for me to forgive myself for that, she said. Ive put myself in situations I shouldnt have put myself in, and I felt so much shame about that.

Noting that she hasnt had a drink in five years, she added, It is not only a film about the things that can happen to us, but it made me think about the things weve done to ourselves.

Watch a clip of Kravitzs appearance on The Drew Barrymore Show below.

Blink Twice, which hit theaters last month, follows female friends Frida and Jess (played by Naomi Ackie and Alia Shawkat), who are invited to vacation on a tropical island owned by reclusive tech billionaire Slater King (Channing Tatum ).

Upon arrival, the two women are treated to lavish hotel rooms, free-flowing cocktails and high-end meals. After a series of strange occurrences, however, Frida learns that she and Jess have been sexually assaulted by Slater and his associates while under the influence of a drug derived from a flower on the island.

In her chat with Barrymore, Kravitz said the movies portrayal of substance use was meant to heighten the vulnerability of her characters.

We make mistakes, we hurt ourselves, we get hurt by others and then oftentimes we are left to deal with the consequences on our own, she said. 

Barrymore, an actor who comes from a family of stage and screen performers, had shot to fame by age 7 following her scene-stealing performance in 1982s E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial. Though she continued her early success with roles in movies like Firestarter and Cats Eye, she underwent treatment for excessive drug and alcohol use by age 13. About a year later, she was granted legal emancipation from her parents.

In recent years, shes been outspoken about the challenges shes faced around alcohol use. Her will to quit drinking was reinvigorated, she said, after filming a pilot for The Drew Barrymore Show in 2019.

I think the opportunity at a show like this really hit me, she told the Los Angeles Times last year. I was like, I cant handle this unless Im in a really clear place.

Need help? Visit RAINNs National Sexual Assault Online Hotline  or the National Sexual Violence Resource Centers website . For substance use disorder or mental health issues, call 800-662-HELP (4357) for the SAMHSA National Helpline  in the U.S.