An Alaskan adventure usually conjures up images of snowmobiles, bears and crashing glaciers. But Drew Barrymore’s three-month experience shooting Big Miracle was more like “Into the Zen” than Into the Wild.

“I’m a Cali-girl through and through, but it was just nice to not be in the busy rush of Los Angeles,” Barrymore says of her stint in Anchorage, where she shunned Internet and e-mail in favor of letter-writing and reading. Shooting for the film (opening Friday) took place in the fall of 2010, and it could not have come at a better time for the now 36-year-old actress who has been a mainstay in pop culture for three decades.

“There’s a book called Slowing Down to the Speed of Life, and there’s something about that title that totally rang true about this experience,” Barrymore says. “It’s hard to check out of your life for three solid months. It’s even harder when you get older. But I really did dive in.”

Perhaps “dive out” would be a better term. In Big Miracle, a fictionalized retelling of the 1988 effort to rescue three gray whales trapped by ice near the Arctic Circle, Barrymore plays a Greenpeace activist. It is her first big-screen acting project in two years and probably will be her last for a while: No other firm projects are lined up.

That’s all just fine, she says. Barrymore is in no rush to find a new venture and is more content to focus on her personal life, which includes her fiancé, 34-year-old art consultant Will Kopelman.

“I’ve done all of this for 35 years,” Barrymore says of her career. “I think maybe it’s OK to put the life first for a minute. I don’t really know this feeling. It’s new and exciting.”

After all, Barrymore began her entertainment career at age 11 months when she appeared in a dog food commercial. Since finding child stardom after 1982′s E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial, she had a famously turbulent adolescence that eventually made way for an adult career that saw her move to rom-com queen (The Wedding Singer, 50 First Dates). She also is a successful producer, director and, lately, professional photographer.

While chatting at her Flower Films office, Barrymore buzzes from just viewing a photo spread she shot for the fashion glossy V featuring some her favorite rock bands in a house party theme. A few minutes earlier, the entire office had erupted in cheers after seeing the pictures in the magazine’s current music issue.

“We just opened the magazine,” she says. “You kind of don’t believe it’s going to happen until you see it and then it’s real.”

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Drew Barrymore talked for a few minutes this morning about her new whale-rescue movie, Big Miracle, before Good Morning America anchor Robin Roberts brought up “that rock” on her finger, her engagement ring.

Drew beamed.

Are wedding plans moving forward?

“We’re trying to figure it out,” the actress said. “I think everyone expects you to kind of know right away what the plans are. I’m like, oh goodness, it just happened a month ago! Do I not have it together or is it OK to keep daydreaming?”

Roberts told her it was fine to keep daydreaming: “To see how happy you are makes us so happy for you.”

Replied Drew, “I root for his happiness and people’s happiness and this is a really positive story and positive time and I like positivity, I’m drawn to it!”

USAToday.com

Drew Barrymore and Will Kopelman made their first public appearance as an engaged couple at last night’s Washington DC premiere of Big Miracle. Hear why Drew says the film makes her feel like she’s come “full circle” from E.T. in PopSugar Rush.

There are some strong messages at play in Ken Kwapis’ Big Miracle. The film tells the story of a family of whales that is trapped under a patch of Alaskan ice and is unable to make it out into open water. There are, of course, comments on environmentalism, but also the media, oil drilling, political/military action and the importance of respecting cultural differences. With that much at play there is a substantial risk of becoming overly preachy, but as stars Drew Barrymore and John Krasinski recently explained in an interview, the key is to speak from the heart and hide the agenda.

I was recently invited to participate in a roundtable interview with the two stars of Big Miracle in which they spilled their guts about filming their new movie. Check out the interview below in which they discuss the film’s messages as well as what it was like working with Ken Kwapis on such a different project, the true story that the movie is based on, and what they enjoyed about working together.

Were you guys aware of the story the film is based on before the script came together? Was it news to you or do you remember hearing it?

John Krasinski: I remember hearing about it. I remember definitely knowing something about it, probably was too young to be at all involved in it and wasn’t necessarily the most current events guy at age whatever-I-was…nine, I guess? Ten? But no, I mean, when you read the script I remember I read the script and I thought it was really great, I thought it was really sweet. My concern was that it was like, I said to Ken [Kwapis], “Yeah, it’s really good, but we have to cut back a little bit of this stuff. Some of this stuff is a little unbelievable.” And he’s like, “Nah, it’s all true.” And I was like, “Alright, Ken. I don’t know how long you’ve been in Hollywood, but none of this is real.” And he was like, “No, these people got married and…

What part seemed the most unbelievable to you?

JK: I think that the press secretary and the national guard pilot falling in love and getting married after being so adversarial on the phone is insane. That is insane! And then when you see the picture at the end of the movie it’s so moving. I think it’s just a great, great movie, especially at this point in time to believe in the power of unity and getting together for a cause or really for anything, especially with social media. I think this is the time where not only can you have a voice, but your voice can be the catalyst for something massive.

Ted Danson was talking about while you were shooting Shell was trying to drill, did you get at all involved with that?

JK: Yeah, I remember that night when he went. He was nervous. He said, “Those guys are real.”

Drew Barrymore: I think it was great for him because he was playing J.W. who is this oil man, but no, that was really his cause.

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Drew Barrymore, John Krasinski, Dermot Mulroney, Kristen Bell, and Ted Danson dish on their whale rescue adventure flick.

Drew Barrymore spent Friday morning in Los Angeles promoting her film, inspired by a true story, “Big Miracle,” in which she sets out to save a family of whales trapped by ice, but it was another kind of ice that caught Access Hollywood’s Shaun Robinson by surprise – the actress’ engagement ring.

“He’s a wonderful man,” Drew said of her fiancé, Will Kopelman, as Shaun admired her ring.

“He bought her a flashlight to put on it,” Drew’s “Big Miracle” co-star John Krasinski — who plays a news reporter in the film — chimed in, referencing the sparkling qualities of Drew’s diamond. “It’s very sweet. Practical.”

Drew got engaged over the holidays while she and Will were in Sun Valley, Idaho.

“He is a very romantic and creative person,” Drew told Shaun of Will. “He’s wonderful.”

Drew said she loves the stability of her relationship with Will, something she opened up about in the February issue of InStyle magazine.

“It’s funny, when I was younger, I used to say I’d hate a flat line—that I want the ups and downs, the rollercoaster. But I’m actually really enjoying the flat line,” she told the mag.

When asked about her quote, Drew expanded on her original thoughts, telling Shaun that she loves how her life has turned out.

“I think that you want so much sort of craziness and excitement when you’re younger and then it’s actually just being with friends and family and having that quiet weekend together that is just the most ideal way to spend your time,” she said.

“Totally,” John chimed in with a smile. “And he called and asked my permission first (laughs)… He’s really sweet.”

Also sweet is Drew and John’s film, which allowed the actress to play a whale advocate who tangles with multiple governments on an emotional journey to save three whales.

“I like going to work and having to cry. I like having to go to work and be strong or feisty, and I got to do so many things as this amazing woman” Drew said of her character, Rachel. “I got to fight for something I completely love and believe in.”

And the story, in general, motivated the actress as well.

“I just loved the story. I like family oriented movies, I like if there’s something for children, but I like if there’s something for adults too, and this is environmental, and it’s political, and it’s heartfelt, and it’s emotional, “ she said. “It’s uplifting. I don’t have a sad umbrella over my head. I want to see things that are inspiring.”

“Big Miracle” hits theaters on February 3.

AccessHollywood.com

In November of 2010, I ventured over to Anchorage, Alaska to visit the set of Universal Pictures’ Big Miracle, which tells the true story of how three gray whales were trapped in a hole in Point Barrow, Alaska in 1988. Rounding out the extraordinary cast was John Krasinski, Drew Barrymore, Kristen Bell, Ted Danson, Tim Blake Nelson and Dermot Mulroney, and here are the transcripts from the interviews that were conducted while on set.

Q: You guys have been here for a while so give us some tips on how you handle Alaska? And what are your Alaska must-haves in terms of staying cozy?

JK: Must-haves would be these little beauties!

DB: Yeah, the hot packs.

JK: I think they’re called little hotties. You’re going to want to trust that.

DB: It’s hard though. You’ve got the mittens and I’ve got gloves and what I’d love for those little hotties to do is develop little fingers. And then life would be really good. The fingers and the toes are most important. Smart wool, definitely windy proof layers, lots and lots of layers and the feet warmers.

JK: It’s like you’re writing a survival guide.

DB: I have to say it was a total trial and error thing. When I got here I had nothing and I didn’t know what was going to work and what wasn’t. You just start piling on the things you like and get rid of the things that aren’t working.

JK: It’s also so deceiving when you arrive and it wasn’t that cold. The first time I came up it was like 50 degrees and I remember thinking everybody on the production’s insane. They’re like “it gets so cold!” And then coming from LA you’re throwing in light sweaters and then days like this hit and you’re like “does anyone have a caribou carcass?”

Q: When did you guys get here?

DB: In September. He was doing double duty with The Office which is insane, pulling a double shift which is really really hard.

JK: So I officially landed permanently, a month ago in October.

Q: We’ve been asking everyone and they’re all kinda saying the same thing, but I was wondering what drew you individually to the role?

DB: Is that a subtly veiled insult that they’re all kinda saying the same thing?

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Following her 2009 directorial debut, Whip It, Drew Barrymore is back in the game with her MTV “Supervideo” for “Our Deal” from the surf-pop indie band, Best Coast.

In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Barrymore opened up about the opportunity to work with MTV and why she chose a West Side Story theme for the video.

“I’ve never done a music video and I’ve always wanted to. The format is dying!” Barrymore explained of her decision try a new creative outlet. “What I love about music videos are the stories in them.”

A fan of romance, action, and tragic love stories, Barrymore opted to draw on Romeo and Juliet, West Side Story, The Warriors and The Outsiders – all while keeping actress Chloe Moretz in mind for the lead. As for Tyler Posey, Barrymore discovered the Teen Wolf star along the way.

“I didn’t want to do a period piece, per se. For this, I thought, stick with the timeless,” she explained. “Take a jean jacket, its ‘50s, ‘70s, ‘90s, now… And I never met a graffiti I didn’t like! That’s how it all started.”

What started out as a small 2-minute project quickly escalated to an 11-minute video as Barrymore realized her ambitions. After asking MTV for permission to expand the project, the short was filmed in downtown LA on a shoestring budget and in only two days. Barrymore called in “every favor on the planet” to make it happen.

“MTV Networks finally decided they would let us make and air the 11-minute version. That, for me, is the greatest lesson in all of this,” she recalled. “If you really push yourself, you could create an opportunity for yourself that wouldn’t have happened otherwise. You have to earn it, and you gotta go out there and make it happen. How could I push the limit? Went outside the traditional lines on this one, I feel really lucky, just another side to me to not sit with your dreams, and try to make them manifest.”

Adding, “I spent three years on Whip It, and to do this in two days – wow. It gave me hope that you don’t have to take yourself so seriously.”

Watch the full, extended version of the music video below.

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