Drew Barrymore says 'I don't mind dropping a wad for the best dinner ever'

By Michele Manelis

Weekend magazine·

11 May, 2018 05:00 PM4 mins to read

Drew Barrymore loves to travel and eat food. Photo / Getty Images

Handbags baffle Drew Barrymore but she gets great food and travel, writes Michele Manelis.

Where are we going with the second season of Santa Clarita Diet?

I think it's not a diet anymore, it's a lifestyle. This is the new normal. I think the characters are more proactive now as opposed to sitting back and letting life happen to them. They're trying to get much more organised in their morals and priorities, as in, people to kill - preferably people the world would be much better without.

The gore aspect was criticised in season one. Is it less bloody this time around?

Strangely, I don't know what's wrong with me but I'm not really fazed by the blood. Maybe I've been in this industry for so long that I know it's this weird sugar water that has a red dye that rips your skin apart and is actually quite uncomfortable. I am anaesthetised to the blood. When I went to Asia and was offered certain foods, I was on the verge of vomiting, and I think there are a lot of people who watch the show who are on the verge of vomiting. I'm just so beautifully jaded by the make-believe of film and television that I know it's not real, so it doesn't faze me.

You have an acting career, you're a mother of two daughters, and you also produce wine.

Yes. I do a pinot grigio and a rose.

How did that happen?

I got a call from this wine distributor, who wanted to know if I was interested in making wine. I was like: "We'd have to name it after my grandfather, obviously." So we went to Italy, we studied, got a little education in working out where the finest pinot grigio grapes are grown.

How hands on, or "feet on", were you?

I was not crushing the grapes. You don't want me making things in your kitchen, let alone wine. But I was really into how it tasted and the notes. It's been a really fun and cool education.

You have more than two million followers on Facebook. How do you feel about that?

Well, I don't want to boast but it's 8.5 million, which is crazy. Yeah, it's fun. I run my own Instagram. I started it by myself. I just try to make it an authentic portal where I can share with people all the things I'm interested in, like the wine. And now Netflix is using it for Santa Clarita Diet because it's gained momentum. I try to show all the things that I love in life and I try to use it as something relatable - because we're all just trying to live our lives and do our best.

Are you worried about over-sharing?

No. I'm very in-my-gut in touch with when it's one step too far into my life or over-sharing.

What do you like to spend your money on?

Food! I don't mind dropping a wad for the best dinner ever. With great food, great wine, you have a life-making memory. I'm, like, gangsta about that shit. But when it comes to clothes, jewellery and handbags ... I am so confused about the handbags! Who wants to walk around holding their arm up? I'd love to not have one of my arms working for the day. I carry a JanSport backpack, like the boys in junior high wear. I've tried other bags, but I'm always like, that damn JanSport is still my favourite bag. It's the most practical. You can keep your hands free. It's amazing.

What else does your money bring? Are you collecting houses all over the world?

No, but I spend money on travel. I live for travel. I create these trips for me and my friends to take. And, remember, I am a woman. You're always 100 per cent a mother, but sometimes it's nice to go and have an adult experience and get away for a moment so you can come back with a full cup. So I would say food and travel are my justifications for working hard and then doing something that enriches my life. A handbag could not enrich my life but travelling to a culture and learning about it can.

Speaking about bags, do you ever wonder what the Queen has in her bag?

Do you think the Queen has something naughty in her bag?

Who knows?

Well, now that you mention it, I wonder why she's always holding it when there are so many around her doing things for her. I noticed this on The Crown that even when she's walking through her own home she has the bag on her. I think it's just her thing. She probably won't like what I just said, but I think she sleeps with those bags.