Steven Spielberg Felt 'Helpless' Watching Drew Barrymore's Childhood 'Being Robbed' While Filming E.T.

STEVEN SPIELBERG ‘FELT HELPLESS’ AS HE WATCHED DREW BARRYMORE’S CHILDHOOD ‘BEING ROBBED’ WHILE FILMING *E.T.*

It was 1982, and Steven Spielberg was busy making movie magic with *E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial*, a film that would soon become an iconic symbol of 80s childhoods around the world.

But behind the scenes, Spielberg wasn’t only directing an alien story; he was watching a real-life tragedy unfold with his young star, Drew Barrymore.

Barrymore, just seven years old at the time, played Gertie, the feisty younger sister of Elliot, who befriends the stranded extraterrestrial.

Her on-screen charm helped make *E.T.* a cultural phenomenon, but Spielberg saw something darker as he got to know his young star.

“She was staying up way past her bedtime, going to places she should have only been hearing about, and living a life at a very tender age that I think robbed her of her childhood,” Spielberg later revealed.

The legendary director, now 77, has admitted he “felt helpless” watching Barrymore’s childhood slip away.

BARRYMORE’S BREAKOUT ROLE AND TROUBLED BEGINNINGS

Spielberg’s bond with Barrymore didn’t just come from their time on set.

As he worked with her, Barrymore began looking to him as a father figure, even asking him to be her dad.

Spielberg agreed to become her godfather, a role he took seriously, especially as he witnessed the instability in her life.

For Barrymore, Spielberg became “the only person in my life to this day that ever was a parental figure,” as she described him in a recent profile for *Vulture*.

Drew Barrymore’s biological father, John Drew Barrymore, was plagued by alcohol abuse and was largely absent from her life.

Despite their troubled relationship, Barrymore would later pay for his medical bills until his passing in 2004.

CHILD STAR IN THE LIMELIGHT

The success of *E.T.* catapulted Barrymore to overnight fame, but with it came pressures few adults, let alone children, could manage.

As she became a Hollywood sensation, her personal life spiraled—far from the world of red carpets and applause, Barrymore was exposed to dark corners of showbiz.

By the age of 10, she had started using marijuana; by 12, she was abusing cocaine, a habit that brought her to rehab at just 13.

As a young teen, Barrymore attempted to take her own life and returned to rehabilitation, eventually seeking emancipation from her parents at age 14.

Through it all, Spielberg tried to support her, though he admits he was painfully aware of the limits of his influence.

“I could only kind of be a consigliere to her,” he admitted, feeling powerless to shield her fully from Hollywood’s darker sides.

FILMING E.T. WITH A ‘REAL’ ALIEN

Spielberg knew that Barrymore’s life off-screen was complicated, so he tried to make *E.T.* as magical as possible for her on set.

In an effort to keep the young actress immersed, he went to great lengths to make her believe the alien was real.

For weeks, Barrymore believed she was interacting with an actual extraterrestrial, a belief Spielberg protected fiercely.

“I didn’t want to burst the bubble,” Spielberg recalled, wanting to preserve a slice of her innocence amid her turbulent life.

So when Barrymore eventually saw the men operating E.T., Spielberg quickly asked them to leave the set.

He reassured her, saying, “It’s okay, E.T. is so special he has eight assistants. I’m the director, I only have one.”

Spielberg’s efforts to maintain this magic offered Barrymore a fleeting moment of childlike wonder during an otherwise chaotic period.

A LONG HISTORY OF DARK TIDES IN THE BARRYMORE FAMILY

Drew Barrymore’s family history had its own haunting legacy—a dynasty marked by fame and notoriety.

Her grandfather, John Barrymore, was one of the greatest actors of his generation, known both for his talent and for his tragic alcoholism.

By the time Drew arrived on the Hollywood scene, the Barrymore name was already a mixed bag of glamour and scandal.

With little parental guidance, Drew was often left to fend for herself, navigating adult parties and a chaotic social world at an age when most kids are in grade school.

At just seven years old, she was thrust into the spotlight, becoming the latest Barrymore to carry the weight of the family’s fame and its struggles.

Her story became one of Hollywood’s most infamous cautionary tales—a child star plunged into the dark side of celebrity culture.

FINDING SOBRIETY AND A PATH FORWARD

In the years since her childhood, Barrymore’s life has seen dramatic highs and lows.

She fought her way through addiction and trauma, and after several stints in rehab, she found a path to stability.

Barrymore has been sober since at least 2019 and today hosts *The Drew Barrymore Show*, where she candidly shares her journey with audiences.

Her career took a second wind as she embraced a new chapter as a talk show host, giving viewers a glimpse of her humor, resilience, and hard-earned wisdom.

Now a mother of two, Barrymore has spoken openly about the lessons she’s learned from her turbulent youth.

SPEILBERG AND BARRYMORE: A BOND THAT ENDURES

Despite the rocky road, Barrymore’s relationship with Spielberg has endured over the decades.

He remains a father figure in her life, standing by her side even as she navigated her way out of Hollywood’s darker alleys.

The bond they formed on the set of *E.T.* became one of the few constants in Barrymore’s life, offering her a sense of stability she rarely found elsewhere.

Spielberg’s “helpless” feelings as he watched her life unfold only strengthened his resolve to remain supportive, even when he couldn’t shield her.

Today, Spielberg and Barrymore are still close, a testament to their enduring friendship formed under Hollywood’s spotlight.

LOOKING BACK, MOVING FORWARD

For Spielberg, *E.T.* is a masterpiece that’s forever etched in film history, but it’s also a bittersweet memory of the young girl whose innocence he tried to protect.