After both producing and starring in 2009’s He’s Just Not That Into You, Drew Barrymore has already taken audiences through the emotional (and comedic) twists of break-ups and make-ups. Now, the 36 year-old star has announced plans to helm a similarly dating- themed project called How to Be Single, her second directing gig after 2009’s roller-derby flick Whip It. “Love is never gonna be a tired subject,” Barrymore tells EW. “Being single, this one definitely speaks to me and I’ve explored it a lot in the last year and a half. I’m at that age where I’m sort of straddling a great line right now and I can see both sides very well.”

Single, based on the 2008 novel by Liz Tucillo and adapted by He’s Just Not That Into You’s screenwriters Marc Silverstein and Abby Kohn, will follow a group of New Yorkers and their various dating adventures over the course of ten years. “This has a very wide palette that I really really like,” she says. “I’m so interested in so many different types of people and lifestyles that there is kind of a lovely mosaic, like a little bit for everybody.” Barrymore, who is still deciding whether or not she’ll appear on screen in Single (which she says is being considered for release around Valentine’s Day 2012), explains the new film isn’t a follow-up to He’s Just Not That Into You. But she does call the pair “cousin movies,” explaining that “they’re not carbon copies or sequels of each other but they have a connection.” The star is mum on sharing too many details this early, but she says that Single, which she hopes to shoot this summer on location in New York City, is being designed to appeal to both sexes. “It’s hopefully, in a lot of ways, not a romantic comedy,” says Barrymore. “People have this weird stigma [with] that word — it’s a turnoff to guys or whatever. But I think we’ve honed in on a style that will be more universal, a little bit ageless and not gender specific.”

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Drew Barrymore is one of the few actors who has literally spent almost her entire life on the screen, having made her acting debut at age 7 in the classic film E.T. But what’s even more amazing is that she overcame severe drug problems when she was barely a teenager, and still managed to right herself and her career en route to becoming one of the most reliable box office draws on the planet.

While she is perhaps best-loved in the guise of playing cute, funny girls in romantic comedies, Barrymore has undertaken some big efforts to stretch herself in recent years. She made her directing debut with the unfairly overlooked and vastly underrated film Whip It, a girl-power movie with a bevy of solid moral messages to boot. And she won a Golden Globe earlier this year for her intense dramatic performance in the HBO movie Grey Gardens.

Barrymore’s latest film places her squarely back in her wheelhouse of romantic comedy, as she plays a woman in San Francisco who falls in love with a guy (played by Barrymore’s real-life on-again, off-again love Justin Long) she meets while interning at a New York City newspaper for six weeks. As the young lovers try to make their long-distance relationship work, a very realistic yet surprisingly risque comedy unfolds.

Barrymore sat down recently to discuss Distance and the rest of her career path thus far.

How did you decide to take on this part, which is more raw than your usual characters?

Barrymore: I just wanted to play a role that was the most like me, where I’m at in my life right now. This is how I talk to my girlfriends, trying to figure out how to make love and the job work. This is very close to my life and I found it very real. I also laugh a lot with my friends, and things are funny to us and we are constantly giggling. The escapism and joy combined with how real the movie gets, it was a no-brainer to do this.

Relationships are difficult enough to deal with, but a long-distance relationship—wow.

Barrymore: I’ve done it my whole life due to the job. I saw this and said, “This is so refreshing.” But I think it starts with kids going away to college. For a lot of people—I’d love to know the statistics of how many go through a long-distance relationship, but I feel that it’s maybe half the planet going through these same issues. You have goals and aspirations you set up for yourself, and you meet someone and don’t want to just be Career Girl, on a mountain by yourself, and you don’t want to ditch everything for love and find yourself resenting the crap out of the other person because you’ve given up everything for them. These are important, interesting things every person goes through. At the end of the day, if you love the person you want to figure out how to make it work while keeping the joy and laughter going.

[Director Nanette Burstein] being a documentarian, there was just this ability to be more real about it, and you’re working with these brilliant comedians, and we’re all improv-ing—there’s an outside-the-lines feel to this movie.

Your Grey Gardens performance was just fantastic. What’s harder for you, comedy or drama?

Barrymore: I think they’re both challenging, and I think for me, I just want to keep doing several different tones. For me, range is so sexy. I don’t want to do just one thing. We all have different kinds of moods at different points in our life. We want to see different kinds of movies. I do have a through line of wanting to keep people with a sense of joy. Leaving joy out is the only kind of genre I have no interest in.

Do you want to do more directing?

Barrymore: Yes. I cannot wait. I swear I’m a really nice person to work with, but I love that level of detail and involvement in caring about every detail. I really pour myself into things, and so to be involved on that level day in and day out for three years was incredible and the best relationship I ever had. I look forward to the day when I meet another piece of material that makes me want to make that kind of commitment again.

What do you feel is the key to a long-distance relationship working?

Barrymore: Start with letters, I love letters. This may be personal, but they’re so romantic and traditional.

What drew you to this particular script?

Barrymore: I read the script and found it to be incredibly funny. I kept asking “Are they really going there?” I kept thinking day after day about the two main characters and their relationship. I really cared and was wondering how will they make this work. I had a real, emotional investment in complexities of how do you make this work for two people who meet in one city but are separated halfway through the movie. That was fascinating to me that I laughed so much and yet cared

Love is only 3,000 miles and a racy phone call away in the new romantic comedy Going the Distance, starring Drew Barrymore
and Justin Long. Drew spoke about her R-rated romp and getting paid to make out with her real-life on-again, off-again flame.

Q: What do you like most about your character, Erin?
I just didn’t want to play a cuckoo, wacky role. She’s someone who can hang out with guys and loves women but has a spine and is funny. I relate to that kind of person right now in my life.

Q: What have you learned about how to make a relationship work?
Nothing! In all seriousness, I’m very excited to be in my 30s and not stand on my soapbox and brag about what I know. I’m not in on any brilliant secrets right now.

Q: How can you make a longdistance relationship work?
I know what I would want to make one work, like letters and surprising each other — things that make you feel special, like you’re part of a unit and it’s not a phantom thing.

Q: Where do things stand right now with you and Justin?
We never talk about when we’re together and when we’re not. It never, ever will be addressed. Mystery is sexy. But I definitely think it was a benefit that we knew each other so well. It’s very rare to have such an amazing chemistry with someone. That was such a blessing.

Q: So all those kissing scenes were just part of the job?
I was just lucky he’s a good kisser! The worst is when you’re kissing somebody who’s not and you feel like you’re working on your own. Basically, it was a real team effort!

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This weekend’s romantic comedy “Going the Distance” pairs up Drew Barrymore and Justin Long.

We asked them about working together, challenging scenes and more to get a better idea of their chemistry:

Q. How important is the first kiss in a romantic comedy?

Justin Long: The first kiss for us in the movie was sloppy because we were stoned. It was so easy to do because we are so comfortable. Sometimes it can be a surprise when you’ve just met someone.

Drew Barrymore: I was just lucky because he’s a good kisser. Thank God! The worst is when you’re trying to kiss someone who’s not a good kisser and you’re trying to make it look good. You feel like you’re working on your own. At least this was a real team effort.

What was the most challenging scene?

DB: One of the challenges I was most excited about was doing the drunk scene. We focused on what type of drunk is she, what we could ad lib and what could be spontaneous. If you were really angry, how would you let loose? It was like the most fun day at work ever.

JL: Some of the naked stuff was a little uncomfortable. But I think the most challenging was trying to keep a straight face. A lot of the intimate, sexual stuff-in a room full of 30-40 grown men-was a challenge.

Q. So just how important is it to have sparks between the leads in a romantic comedy?

DB: I find that films, for me, work best when you are invested in the whole group of people. I love films that have an alumni quality and you’re really into all the people in it. I love when the chemistry goes far beyond the couple.

Q. What attracted you to this film?

DB: I wasn’t in that place in my life where I wanted to play a cuckoo, wacky roll-reversal scenario. I wanted to play someone who has spine and is funny. I feel like I relate to that kind of person in my life right now so it was a pleasure for me to get to improv and work in a more free-flowing way.

Q. What’s the most cherished thing in your house?

DB: Any of my dogs.

Q. What are your top three movies?

JL: “Annie Hall,” “Back to the Future” and “Way Out West.”

DB: “Annie Hall,” “Lost in America” and “Sullivan’s Travels.” Those are some of my favorite movies.

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Actress Drew Barrymore seems to have a pretty good attitude towards dog ownership. Here, for instance, is the speech that she gives to all her dogs, upon acquiring a new canine: “Good afternoon. I’m not neurotic, nor will you be.” Interesting! And a little crazy, but still kind of a good speech.

Drew loves dogs, and has recently gotten a new one. Unfortunately, not everyone is as good with animals as she is. For instance, David Letterman kind of sucks with them, apparently. Which is what is revealed on ‘Late Show’ (weeknights, 11:35PM ET on CBS).

Ms. Barrymore is very excited about her new pet, who is named “Douglas,” and who has the same birthday as she does. (That date would be February 22nd, for the record.) But she also reveals that she recently lost a dog named “Flossie.” This particular dog lived until she was sixteen years old, then sadly passed away. Still, that’s a ripe old age for a dog. Drew reveals that she honored Flossie by taking some of her ashes to India — she put Flossie’s ashes in the Ganges river, considered to be one of the most sacred spots in the world. How sweet!

After Drew is finished telling this story, Dave reveals just how bad he is at the whole pet ownership thing. He rolls up his sleeve and shows the multiple nasty bites that he has gotten from his dog. Ouch! “Oh my God!” Drew says. Yeah. It seems that Dave isn’t quite as skilled with dealing with animals. But not everyone can be Drew Barrymore, and not everyone can give cute yet bizarre speeches to their pets.

Drew Barrymore’s romance with co-star Justin Long adds another dimension to her latest romcom. I knew the chemistry would be there, she tells John Hiscock.

The first thing that strikes you about Drew Barrymore is how – there’s no other word for it – normal she now seems, for a woman who inherited both a famous name and a tragic legacy from her legendary acting family. Her scandal-filled childhood was followed by a deeply troubled adolescence that included drug and alcohol addiction, a suicide attempt and several spells in rehab.

But she turned her life around and during the past decade has matured into a multi-talented actress, producer and, more recently, director, who has shaken off the shadow of her family name to establish herself as a major force in her own right in Hollywood.

“Being a Barrymore didn’t help me, other than giving me a great sense of pride and a strange spiritual sense that I felt OK about having the passion to act,” she says. “It made sense because my whole family had done it and it helped rationalise it for me.”

We have met in Beverly Hills to talk about her latest film, Going the Distance, yet another romcom, a genre in which she specialises. But this one is not really for the young girls who have been her faithful core audience: it’s the most raunchy, edgy and daring of the films she has made so far.

She and Justin Long, her real-life on-again, off-again boyfriend, play a couple who meet in New York, enjoy a summer fling, then try to keep the romance burning when she returns home to San Francisco.

“It was so great to be able to talk the way I do in real life with my friends,” she says. “I think a film about real love and life and what we go through in relationships and with our friends would be impossible to do authentically if it didn’t have sex and [bad] language, because it wouldn’t be realistic.”

The Long factor just adds to the realism. They met three years ago when they were both cast in He’s Just Not Into You and dated for a year before splitting up and then reuniting early last year. Neither will say if they are still together.

“I thought it would be a unique experience to go to work with someone I did have a history with and I have had emotional times with and who genuinely makes me laugh and who I’m genuinely attracted to,” she says. “I knew the chemistry between us would be honest, so we would be able to bring a truth to the fact that relationships can be very difficult, and I thought that would be a real benefit.”

She talks confidently, with the air of someone who knows exactly what she wants to say and it is easy to imagine her as both producer and director, taking complete command of a movie set.

Now 35, Drew Barrymore comes from a five-generation strong acting dynasty that included her grandfather, Shakespearean actor John Barrymore, an alcoholic who died at 60 of cirrhosis of the liver; silent film star grandmother Dolores Costello; great-uncle and Oscar winner Lionel Barrymore; and Oscar-winning great-aunt Ethel, who once turned down a marriage proposal from Winston Churchill. Drew’s father, John Barrymore Jr, split from her mother, model Jaid, soon after Drew was born, and died in 2004 after years of homelessness and drug addiction.

She has bizarre memories of him. “I liked when my dad would walk around in bare feet, stoned, and talk about how the blades of grass felt on his feet, and how he could tell which ones were hurting and didn’t want to be stepped on, and I thought, ‘Wow that’s my dad; he’s really trippy and cool,’ ” she recalls. She pauses and then laughs: “Not a very wholesome movie moment, but that’s what my dad was.”

It was her family connections that won Barrymore her first big break when her godfather, Steven Spielberg, cast her as the dimpled, precocious seven-year-old in E.T. But things turned sour when her mother, an inveterate partygoer, began taking her on a round of all-night parties. By the time Drew was 12 she was drinking alcohol and using cocaine; at 13 she was in rehab; and at 15 the little girl who had shown so much promise was working in a Hollywood coffee shop.

There were two more trips to rehab before she moved in with musician David Crosby, himself a survivor of drug and alcohol abuse, and his wife, who helped her straighten her life out. She applied in court to become legally emancipated from her parents.

As she matured, her professional life has soared. She has appeared in some 50 movies and her production company, Flower Films, has produced a dozen, including the two Charlie’s Angels adventures, and a string of successful romcoms. She was executive producer on the cult classic Donnie Darko and recently made her directing debut with the well-received roller-derby movie Whip It!, in which she starred alongside Ellen Page.

“I feel really excited about the last few years of my life,” she says. “I pride myself on them and I didn’t know I had that much discipline. I’ve worked really hard and got to do things I’ve always wanted to do and now I feel things are going really well. I just want to make sure I have a sense of balance between work and life, because work is my life and the lines can get really blurry.”

It is true that her personal life has been complicated. Her two marriages, to Welsh-born bar owner Jeremy Thomas in March 1994 and comedian Tom Green in July 2001, lasted less than six months combined, and her boyfriends have included actors Val Kilmer and Luke Wilson, as well as the Strokes drummer Fabrizio Moretti.

Looking back on her topsy-turvy past, she is philosophical. “You can’t live your life blaming your failures on your parents and what they did or didn’t do for you,” she says. “You’re dealt the cards that you’re dealt. I realised it was a waste of time to be angry at my parents and feel sorry for myself.

“The low points I had all helped make up my character, so I probably wouldn’t want to do away with them because I like being flawed and I like having them help me grow and change and become better and stronger.”

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk