Drew Barrymore says she was criticized for her weight as a 10-year-old

People reports that on the Weds., Jan. 14 episode of The Drew Barrymore Show, Drew Barrymore, 50, tearfully recalled being criticized for her weight as a child.

Displaying a photo of her 10-year-old self, Barrymore said, "This picture… It just breaks my heart. I was 10 years old and I just was told by everybody, 'You don't look how you did in E.T. You’re too heavy. You’re not blonde enough. You’re not old enough. You’re too young. You’re not tall.' And everybody just started getting involved in the way I looked." Valerie Bertinelli, a guest on the show, reacted to how disheartening it was to learn the criticism the young actress faced. Barrymore also said, "It’s like, I don’t know what I’m supposed to be for other people," and that at 50 "I do know what’s important now, and the look in my eyes is so clear."

She told viewers who "feel pressure to be a certain way" that "You are not alone. I have been there with you, and it is not a comfortable feeling." Barrymore said real happiness is a choice, acknowledged the journey toward it "is a battle and a beautiful, internal war," and said learning to believe "I deserve happiness" can take time. She added that on the other side of that pressure is "kind of adulthood, and a personal freedom, and a desire to stop pleasing everybody else."

Key Topics

Culture, Drew Barrymore, E.t, Valerie Bertinelli, Body Image, Child Actor