“I’ve never said this out loud”: the 1997 movie Drew Barrymore wishes she hadn’t turned down
Welcomed into a prestigious Hollywood family, it took less than a year from her birth for Drew Barrymore to make her screen debut, appearing in a commercial when she was just 11 months old.
The actor has grown up in the public eye, charming audiences as Gertie in ET the Extra-Terrestrial when she was just six years old. Over the coming years, she would face significant struggles with addiction, having tried cocaine by 12, and she almost lost herself to this dark side of Hollywood, where children aren’t protected and reckless behaviour is encouraged.
Barrymore was so young and so vulnerable, and she faced a serious lack of care from the adults in her life, yet she didn’t let these issues stop her from pursuing her desire to become a proper star. She so nearly fell off the deep end, especially when she started to take on rather mature roles, like that of Far from Home and Poison Ivy, before she’d even reached adulthood, but she managed to catch herself, and by the mid-90s, she was in a much better place.
In 1995, she appeared in the commercial hit Batman Forever, and the following year saw her give one of the most iconic performances in horror history in Scream, her role short but unforgettable. Subsequently, she pivoted towards a rather comedic and lighthearted route, appearing in romantic comedies, like Never Been Kissed, Home Fries, and The Wedding Singer, as well as the period romance Ever After.
However, she almost went in a completely different direction when she considered a role in a much more scandalous film about the adult industry, Boogie Nights. The Paul Thomas Anderson movie was a turning point for the young director, who found acclaim with his tale of one man’s rise to acclaim during the 1970s’ golden age of porn. Mark Wahlberg starred as porn actor Dirk Diggler, becoming known for his huge appendage, while a star-studded ensemble of actors rounded out the cast.
The film is equally as funny as it is tragic in places, and it’s this richly layered approach to painting a portrait of corrupt businessmen, budding stars, loners, and eccentrics which makes Boogie Nights so good.
Barrymore was actually interested in starring in the part of Rollergirl, which of course went to Heather Graham, but she turned it down in favour of these less X-rated and considerably more family-friendly roles.
“It’s so hard when you, like, are thinking of doing a film and then you don’t end up doing it,” she revealed on The Drew Barrymore Show, “I have so many of those experiences. I’ve never said this out loud, Boogie Nights. There was a moment where we were talking about Boogie Nights, and I think it’s when I went and did Ever After, and I went in a very different direction.”
What could’ve been if Barrymore had taken on the role instead of Ever After? Perhaps we wouldn’t have seen the actor become an Adam Sandler-collaborating rom-com star and Charlie’s Angels alum. It’s a shame, in that case, that Barrymore didn’t join the cast of Punch-Drunk Love, Anderson’s unlikely collaboration with Sandler.
