Whilst most of 11-year-old Drew Barrymore’s friends would have been in 6th grade doing homework, she was hitting the clubs with Hollywood A-listers like Billy Idol.
The legendary Limelight nightclub was the place to be during its peak in the 1980s; it was known as the hotspot for all celebrities. The Limelight’s boastful reputation even earned it the nickname, “The Studio54 of the South.”
The youngster became a star in 1982 when she was just 7 years old after her iconic role in Steven Spielberg’s E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial. Let’s take a look at Drew’s rollercoaster childhood journey…
11-year-old Drew Barrymore once partied with Billy Idol
According to The Guardian, when Drew was nine, her mom took her to the famous nightclub Studio 54, where she was first “introduced to drugs” and “encouraged to dance with famous young men”. This is where her partying days began…
And two years later, she was hanging out with Idol.
Drew has since dug up a 1986 throwback snap of her clubbing with icon Billy at Limelight nightclub. In the photos, the rocker can be seen making a silly face at the camera whilst she laughs at him. Barrymore and the Rebel Yell singer appear to be in fancy dress at the New York club’s themed night.
You may be wondering how Barrymore was able to be out partying at just 11 years old. Well, she was legally emancipated from her parents only a few years later when she turned fourteen. So, she practically had free reign to party wherever and with whoever she desired.
Even before she was fourteen it appears she had a lot of freedom, as Barrymore describes her relationship with her mom as being “more like a best friend,” she told Norm Macdonald in his 2018 Netflix special Norm Macdonald Has a Show.
Drew recalls her mom gave her two options: “She was like, ‘Do you want to go to school and get bullied all day, or do you want to go to Studio 54?’ And I was like, ‘Yes, absolutely! I don’t want to spend the day with this little f****** who are just awful.’ Kids are so mean.”
Barrymore and her mother still have a good relationship today, as seen in an Instagram picture of the pair.
Drew Barrymore hit rock bottom at 13
However, being exposed to this environment at such a young age certainly took its toll on Barrymore. According to The Guardian, at 11 she developed a drinking problem and at 12 she became a drug addict.
At 13 years old she hit rock bottom when she became depressed. The actress explained in an interview with The Guardian: “When I was 13, that was probably the lowest,” she continued, “Just knowing that I really was alone. And it felt… terrible. It was a really rebellious time. I would run off. I was very, very angry.”
Looking back at the dark times is hard for Drew, but she would never go back to her hardcore partying era. Recalling in an interview: “Nothing would make me have a panic attack and seem like a bigger nightmare. I never did hallucinogenics … but I drink and I enjoy my life and get out of my own head. It’s not like I’m this militant person of clarity and presence but it literally seems like my worst nightmare right now.”
Barrymore is now a mother herself and shares two daughters with former husband Will Kopelman, who she divorced in 2016 after three years. Becoming a mother has been a huge turning point in her life: “They’ve made me such a calmer, better person,” she told TODAY.
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Source: | This article originally belongs to The Focus
