Drew and the big blue The 37-year-old actress gets to merge her acting chops with her love for wildlife in Big Miracle, a big-hearted fl ick inspired by a true story. By Nena Wearing/Celebritext FOR DREW BARRYMORE — who’s already done a variety of roles — playing a Greenpeace activist campaigning to save three gray whales trapped in a circle of ice off the coast of Alaska could very well be a fi rst. In the fi lm Big Miracle (which also stars John Krasinski, Kristen Bell and Ted Danson), Drew reveals how she got into character the positive way. It , s an animatronic whale in the movie, but have you observed whales up close yourself? I did spend a bit of time with some whales while researching for this movie, but I did not get to swim with any. I would have ridden one if they had given me the chance — but at least I got to do the scuba-diving. I’ve swum with dolphins; I took a little picture of this dolphin I swam with and it’s on my computer. He looks like this [does a cute face]. He has the sweetest eyes you’ve ever seen. I think if you have any empathy, how can you not [feel that], you know? What , s being close to a whale like? They’re beautiful. I love whales. I have tremendous respect for them and I wish people would just leave them alone. They’re just the most extraordinary creatures. I read a book called Leviathan; obviously I’m no authority on whales, but it was a great book for me to read. But yeah, I just wish people would leave them alone. You also had to deal with the weather. How did you survive in Alaska? Canada Goose products. It’s the best. If you see anyone with a Canada Goose jacket on, you know they’re kind of OK inside. How cold did it get? Really cold. And it gets progressively cold; like it’s very different in September than it is in November or December. But the weirder thing than the cold is the dark. It just gets really dark very early so you’re in predominant darkness. That was very challenging. Speaking of “challenging,” your character, based on activist Cindy Lowry, is like an outcast. Can you relate to her? I like her because she’s someone who sort of doesn’t sleep and fi ghts for the greater good. But her passion is a little bit messy; she gets in the faces of people who are in high government positions, or tells them that you have to do this in order to make it work, which isn’t a popular opinion. So I like people who are willing to be so tireless in their efforts but are also a bit messy about it. Someone who’s like totally buttoned up all the time is just not interesting; I don’t think they seem very human. And director Ken Kwapis was like, “You know, when you fi ght for things passionately, you’re messy and she’s messy. So let’s use that.” And I was like, “OK! That’s perfect.” So I like it. I like passion. I think that’s a good thing. Her story must have moved you too. What was the last big story that galvanized you, or stopped you in your tracks? I try to follow a little bit of everything. I love the NBC Nightly News and listen to 60 Minutes. I love this magazine called The Week; it’s so great, it’s like global scrapbooking in a succinct magazine — which I know isn’t answering your question specifi cally. I am so sorry, but I can’t think of one at this moment. I’ll get back to you! In the movie, Kristen Bell plays newscaster Jill Jerard, who is focused on her career and looks. Being out in the cold or outdoors, did { 42 } Big Miracle is based on the book “Freeing the Whales”; a nice read for your next trip! you also worry about your appearance? Do you find yourself fighting for your opinions, and then worrying about how you dress? I don’t really care. I care about the way I look in the way that I want to have self-esteem and to feel good. It’s so dangerous to placate the phantom audience. You just want to feel really good about yourself and not be so worried and not fall prey to those silly pressures. That’s just ridiculous. Is that your secret to being successful? I hope so. I guess so. I’m really happy. I think happiness is so important — being healthy and living a positive life and not feeling crazy inside, and getting good sleep — just all the things that you learn as you grow up. I never let it get to me. But you still look really good. What do you do to stay healthy? Thank you. I luckily love my vegetables. I love greens; I eat a lot of greens. I think you just kind of know. You just have this barometer of like, “Oh, that’s too much of this or too little of that.” So I just try to be cognizant of what would be healthy. It’s the same thing that everyone else is working on. I don’t have any radical secrets or anything. I wish I did. I wash my face all the time and I moisturize and I eat my veggies! What makes you smile? I love laughing, any time you can be silly. There’s nothing better than having a gigantic laugh, especially when you can’t stop and it’s uncontrollable and you just have one of those magical moments where you’re like, “This is a moment. I know it’s going to end but everybody’s laughing so hard at the same thing right now.” Those are my favorites.
PHOTO GETTY IMAGES chikka interview { 43 }