Drew Barrymore Shares Why She Stepped Back from Acting for Her Kids

Drew Barrymore is opening up about her decision to step back from acting and focus more on her family. In an interview with AARP The Magazine for their February/March 2025 cover story, the 49-year-old TV host and actress discussed her choice to pause her acting career to prioritize parenthood. Barrymore shares two daughters, Olive, 11, and Frankie, 9, with ex-husband Will Kopelman.

Reflecting on her past, Barrymore shared that in her early 40s, she struggled to balance her career with her personal growth and parenting aspirations. "Being around other people doesn’t help me figure that out right now," she said. "The long hours of doing films were hours I wouldn’t have with my kids. I wasn’t going to do that."

Having started her career in entertainment at an incredibly young age—appearing in her first commercial at just 11 months old and starring in E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial at age 6—Barrymore spent much of her life in the public eye. She went on to star in a number of hit films, including Never Been Kissed, Charlie’s Angels, Scream, and 50 First Dates, and most recently headlined the Netflix comedy series Santa Clarita Diet.

In a previous interview with PEOPLE in April 2024, Barrymore shared that while she loves acting, she doesn’t want her children to follow in her footsteps until they are older. "I remember people asking me if I wanted my kids to go into the business, and it always gave me such a sad feeling," she recalled. "I just thought, that's not how I feel about this business at all. It’s given me every opportunity, and I couldn't appreciate my life more."

While her daughters have expressed interest in acting, Barrymore directs them toward school plays and theater camps for now, explaining that she wants to keep them out of the spotlight until they are older, saying they could start pursuing careers in entertainment when they’re "probably north of 14 or 15."

Barrymore recently shared that acting doesn’t feel emotionally available to her at the moment. "I just need to be myself. I struggle to be someone else," she explained in a 2023 interview with the Los Angeles Times. "But I just can’t see acting right now. I know that sounds sad and dismissive, and I hate when people are like, 'I’m retiring,' or 'This is my goodbye.' I don’t want it to come off that way."

For now, Barrymore is embracing her role as a mother, calling it "the role of my life."

Source: People Magazine