[1] In 2023, Barrymore displayed an AncestryDNA test onscreen on her talk show, which assessed her genetic ancestry as primarily European, with 6% Northern Indian.

[32] In the 1984 film adaptation of Stephen King's 1980 novel Firestarter, Barrymore played a girl with pyrokinesis, and the target of a secret government agency known as The Shop.

That year, she also played a young girl divorcing her famous parents in Irreconcilable Differences and was nominated for her first Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress.

[21][33] In his review in the Chicago Sun-Times, Roger Ebert wrote: "Barrymore is the right actress for this role precisely because she approaches it with such grave calm.

[33] Variety remarked that she "pulls off impressively" her character,[42] and Barrymore was nominated for the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Miniseries or Television Film.

Roger Ebert, in his review for the film, wrote for Chicago Sun-Times: "What a good idea, to make a Western about four tough women.

The producers were quick to take advantage of her unexpected interest and signed her to play the lead role of Sidney Prescott.

[66] Barrymore voiced the titular anthropomorphic Jack Russell terrier in the Christmas television film Olive, the Other Reindeer and was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award.

[21][71] Barrymore starred in Riding in Cars with Boys, as a teenage mother in a failed marriage with the drug-addicted father (based on Beverly Donofrio's real-life story).

[1] When the production of Donnie Darko was threatened, Barrymore stepped forward with financing from the company and played the title character's English teacher.

Although the film was less than successful at the box office in the wake of 9/11, it reached cult status after the DVD release, inspiring numerous websites devoted to unraveling the plot twists and meanings.

Barrymore starred in George Clooney's directorial debut Confessions of a Dangerous Mind, based on the autobiography of television producer Chuck Barris.

[77]In the 2005 American remake adaptation of the 1997 British film Fever Pitch, Barrymore played the love interest of an immature schoolteacher (Jimmy Fallon).

The film grossed a modest US$50 million worldwide and had generally favorable reviews by critics who felt it "has enough charm and on-screen chemistry between [Fallon and Barrymore] to make it a solid hit".

[80][81] In Curtis Hanson's poker film Lucky You, Barrymore played an aspiring singer and the subject of the affections of a talented player.

[82][83] In Raja Gosnell's film Beverly Hills Chihuahua, Barrymore voiced the titular character, a richly pampered pet who gets dognapped in Mexico and has to escape from an evil Doberman.

Barrymore starred in the ensemble comedy He's Just Not That Into You, which received mixed reviews, partly due to her limited time on screen,[84][85][86] while it grossed US$178 million worldwide.

It follows a high-schooler (Elliot Page) ditching the teen beauty pageant scene and participating in an Austin roller derby league.

'"[90] While the film found limited box office receipts, it was favorably received;[91][92] according to review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes, critics agreed that her "directorial debut has enough charm, energy, and good-natured humor to transcend its many cliches".

[95] The drama flopped at the box office,[96] but Stephen Holden for The New York Times considered Barrymore "as ingenuous as ever" in what he described as a "small role.

[102] On August 2, 2011, Barrymore directed the music video for the song "Our Deal," for the band Best Coast, which features Chloë Grace Moretz, Miranda Cosgrove, Tyler Posey, Donald Glover, Shailene Woodley and Alia Shawkat.

[103] Barrymore starred in the biopic film Big Miracle, which covers Operation Breakthrough, the 1988 international effort to rescue gray whales from being trapped in ice near Point Barrow, Alaska.

[citation needed] In Blended, Barrymore played a recently divorced woman ending up on a family resort with a widower (Sandler).

[108] She and Toni Collette starred in Miss You Already (2015), as two long-time friends whose relationship is put to the test when one starts a family and the other becomes ill. Reviewers embraced the film, while it received a limited theatrical release.

[109][110] In the Netflix original television series Santa Clarita Diet, Barrymore played a real estate agent who, after experiencing a physical transformation into a zombie, starts craving human flesh.

[2] In September 2023, Barrymore announced she would continue her syndicated TV talk show despite the ongoing WGA strike, writing, “I own this choice”,[125] when explaining her reasoning via social media.

[4][134][135] A spokesperson for CBS Media Ventures said, "We support Drew's decision to pause the show's return and understand how complex and difficult this process has been for her.

[71][144] As a guest photographer for a magazine series called "They Shoot New York", she appeared on the cover holding a Pentax K1000 film camera.

[146] Barrymore launched a women's fashion line in fall 2017 in conjunction with Amazon.com called Dear Drew,[147] which featured a pop-up shop in New York City that opened in November.

[186] Following a highly publicized childhood marked by drug and alcohol abuse, she released an autobiography, Little Girl Lost, which became a New York Times best seller.