The ‘Going the Distance’ star opens up to BettyConfidential about sex and what’s next.
Drew Barrymore is great on a first date. She has the small talk down pat.
“You do a speed round of what’s your favorite movie and what are your favorite CDs? ” says the single Barrymore who doesn’t mind doing a little role-playing. Let’s say this was an Italian restaurant instead of her suite at the Four Seasons. The question is posed over some candlelight and sparkling water:
“OK, I love this because I can easily say that the movies are Annie Hall, Lost in America and Sullivan’s Travels,” rattles off Barrymore who wears blue jeans and a long, plaid shirt. Her wavy half dark, half blonde hair cascades down her back. In person, she is reed thin, but that slightly scratchy voice and warm laugh that you’ve heard for years reduces her to the nation’s long-lost friend.
“Now, for the music, I’m on it,” she says. “Wait, spank me. I can’t think of anything. Radiohead comes to mind. Shoot, I’m such a music nut, too!”
It’s fine if she doesn’t have all the answers in her new film Going the Distance where Barrymore plays a New York-based aspiring newspaper writer who has a serious boyfriend (Justin Long), a young music exec. Their lives are thrown into a spin when she gets a dream job offer in San Francisco and they must embark on a long distance relationship – complete with long waits at airports and phone sex!
You do a lot of kissing in this film including with Justin Long. Is it tough to kiss on screen?
It’s always hard to do movie love scenes. You’re lucky if you get a good kisser. In some kissing scenes, your lips meet and you think, “Whoooeeee, thank God!” The worst is if you kiss someone who is not a good kisser. Then it’s up to you as the woman to work your butt off. Do you know what it’s like to kiss someone in a scene who can’t kiss? Suddenly, you’re really working on your own game. You’re doubting yourself. You’re asking yourself, “Is it me?”
Any names you would like to divulge, Drew?
Oh, that’s never happening.
You have a scene in Going the Distance where you’re so happy to see your screen boyfriend that you can’t make it past the dining room table. There are also some frank moments of phone sex.
I was excited to play a new character. I wasn’t in the place in my life where I wanted to play a cuckoo, wacky, role reversal character. Someone who can hang out with guys and loves women and has a spine and is funny. I relate to that kind of person in my life. It was also a pleasure to get to improv and work in a more free flowing way, And for once I didn’t have to be censored because I had an R-rating.
What was your most challenging scene?
One of the challenges I was most excited about was doing a drunk scene. We focused on what type of drunk is she and what can we ad lib. The question was if you were really angry how would just let loose? It was the most fun day at work ever because I could just let it go.
What was it like to have Christina Applegate as your screen sister?
We started to look alike. We could have come from the same womb. We used to be in a dance class together as kids. She looked really good in spandex and I did not. I celebrated her and I was horrified in the corner.
You have a scene in this film where you simulate phone sex. Was that a teeny bit embarrassing?
It was a great scene. But I also knew it was one of those scenes that would fail miserably or be fun and exciting. It was a scene where you have to go for it and not compromise because you’re afraid of it. In fact, two sets were built on the soundstage and Justin and I filmed the scene at the same time. Later, we compared awkward experiences. In his case, all the crew guys were making jokes, which was weird. In my room, it was cold and silent, which was worse!
During the phone sex scene, you tell your screen boyfriend that he’s hot like Mark Wahlberg in his undies? Did you ever tell Mark about this homage to his bod?
I ran into Mark and said, “During my phone sex scene in my new movie, we talked about how hot you are in your underwear and sexy.” It didn’t really go over that much. I don’t think he was prepared for it, but he was flattered. He’s a very nice guy. But I’ve had other conversations with him that went much better.
How do you navigate real long distance relationships?
It’s about keeping lines of communication open. You must talk and see each other as much as possible. But it’s not easy. There’s a lot of longing for the other person. You want to see each other, but you can’t because of schedules or obligations. It’s really tough to do everything that you want to do in a day.
What are your goals these days? Marriage? Babies? Movies?
I’m at the point where I’m really thinking about what’s next for me. It could be all of the above. As for movies, the kind of movies I want to make have to mean something to me personally. It must be something I can escape into and forget what’s going on around me. I never want to lose sight when it comes to that sense of being able to relate. I want that beautiful balance in a movie where I’m crying and laughing at the same time. I want to be emotional about what I see on the big screen. It needs to be real for me.
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