Hollywood actress Drew Barrymore has opened up about feeling "really broken" and failing in a major way after her divorce from Will Kopelman, her third husband.
In a podcast for "Finding Fearless," the mom said that the breakdown of her marriage to Kopelman was the hardest of all her marriages because they have two daughters together, Olive, 9, and Frankie, 7. She admitted that she lost 40 pounds following the divorce because it was "the death of a dream."
Barrymore was working on "Santa Clarita Diet" in the middle of her personal turmoil, which has been her best blessing because it distracted her from what was going on in her life. She also has a stable support system of friends to help her cope with the mess and pain.
Co-Parenting With Will
Barrymore admitted that she and Kopelman had worked so hard to co-parent Olive and Frankie over the years, and it was not always smooth-sailing. Their relationship is much better today that she could even appreciate Kopelman's new wife, Alexandra Michler, whom he married in August 2021.
Speaking with Dax Shepard on the "Armchair Expert" podcast, Barrymore said that Michler is an amazing and incredible woman with a beautiful soul. The actress said that she felt they'd won the lottery when Michler came into her ex-husband's life. Their unique family has been hanging out frequently together, including last Halloween.
"I went trick-or-treating on Sunday with Will and his beautiful wife Allie, my daughters' wonderful stepmother," Barrymore shared. "It is the dream. I loved seeing this, I really do. It's very positive."
The actress said her biggest fear was raising her daughters in a broken family. Michler, who loves the girls as much as their parents, has been Barrymore's answered prayers.
Barrymore also felt that moving from Los Angeles to New York, where Kopelman is based, has been good for their daughters. Aside from the fact that they could get to see their father on a regular basis, the actress felt that she had shielded her daughters away from the toxicity of Hollywood, where she grew up.
How Hollywood's 'Wild Child' Changed
In her younger years, Barrymore was known as Hollywood's "wild child" who did risky stunts like flashing her chest to David Letterman on his show, posing for Playboy, or getting emancipated from her parents at 14 years old after staying more than a year in a mental institution. Over the years, however, Barrymore realized and accepted that she could not be "everyone's cup of tea."
As a child of divorce herself, Barrymore said that she had several setbacks growing up, especially when she was exposed to Hollywood at such an early age. Barrymore was only five-years-old when she made such a lasting impact in Steven Spielberg's movie, "E.T."
Now 46 years old, the actress said that her chaotic life had prepared her to become a better mother. Though she didn't have any role models growing up, Barrymore said she has "love and humor" and is also learning to parent her kids.
