Editing Drew Barrymore (section)

===1980–1989: Early roles as a childhood actress ===
[[File:President Reagan with Drew Barrymore at a ceremony launching the Young Astronauts program on the south lawn. October 17, 1984.jpg|thumb|upright|Barrymore and [[Ronald Reagan]] in 1984]]
Barrymore appeared in a [[dog food]] commercial when she was eleven months old. After her film debut with a small role in ''[[Altered States]]'',<ref name="Hello-Profile" /> she played Gertie in ''[[E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial]]''. Director Steven Spielberg felt she had the right imagination for the role after she impressed him with a story that she led a punk rock band.<ref>{{cite video|title=E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial: The 20th Anniversary Celebration|medium=DVD|publisher=Universal, directed by Laurent Bouzereau|year=2002}}</ref> ''E.T.'' was the [[List of highest-grossing films|highest-grossing film]] of the 1980s and made Barrymore one of the most famous child actors of the time. She won the [[Young Artist Award]] for [[4th Youth in Film Awards#Best Young Performer in a Feature Film|Best Young Supporting Actress]]<ref name="ActorsStudio" /><ref name="Young Artist Awards 4">{{cite web|url=http://www.youngartistawards.org/pastnoms4.htm |title=4th Annual Youth in Film Awards |access-date=March 31, 2011 |work=[[Young Artist Award]]s |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080310011550/http://www.youngartistawards.org/pastnoms4.htm |archive-date=March 10, 2008 }}</ref> and was nominated for the [[BAFTA Rising Star Award|Rising Star Award]] at the [[British Academy Film Awards]]. In the [[Saturday Night Live (season 8)|eighth season]] of ''[[Saturday Night Live]]'', she became the youngest person to [[List of Saturday Night Live guests|guest-host]] the series at 7 years old.<ref>{{Cite web |last=VanDooijeweert |first=Kara |date=2023-02-17 |title=The 10 Youngest 'SNL' Hosts Of All Time |url=https://decider.com/2023/02/17/youngest-snl-hosts-all-time/ |access-date=2023-10-10 |website=Decider |archive-date=October 21, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231021121423/https://decider.com/2023/02/17/youngest-snl-hosts-all-time/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Barrymore said that "nobody treated me like a kid there" and she didn't feel different than any other cast member despite her age.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Travis |first=Emlyn |date=2025-01-23 |title=Drew Barrymore confirms she's attending 'SNL' 50th anniversary special: 'I'll be there' |url=https://ew.com/drew-barrymore-attending-snl-50th-anniversary-special-8779357 |access-date=2025-01-24 |website=EW.com |language=en}}</ref>

In the [[Firestarter (1984 film)|1984 film adaptation]] of [[Stephen King]]'s 1980 novel ''[[Firestarter (novel)|Firestarter]]'', Barrymore played a girl with [[pyrokinesis]], and the target of a secret government agency known as The Shop. That year, she also played a young girl divorcing her famous parents in ''[[Irreconcilable Differences]]'' and was nominated for her first [[Golden Globe Award]] for [[Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress – Motion Picture|Best Supporting Actress]].<ref name="ActorsStudio" /><ref name="gg">{{cite web|title=Drew Barrymore |url= https://www.goldenglobes.com/person/drew-barrymore |access-date=June 21, 2020|publisher=Golden Globes |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080501113816/http://www1.goldenglobes.org/browse/member/28761 |archive-date=May 1, 2008 }}</ref> In his review in the ''[[Chicago Sun-Times]]'', [[Roger Ebert]] wrote: "Barrymore is the right actress for this role precisely because she approaches it with such grave calm."<ref>{{cite web|first=Roger |last=Ebert |author-link=Roger Ebert |url=https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/irreconcilable-differences-1984 |title=Irreconciable Differences film review |access-date=June 21, 2020 |date=January 1, 1984|publisher=RogerEbert.com |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081216140033/http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=%2F19840101%2FREVIEWS%2F401010349%2F1023 |archive-date=December 16, 2008 }}</ref>

[[File:Drew Barrymore Corey Feldman (cropped).jpg|thumb|upright|Barrymore and [[Corey Feldman]] at the [[61st Academy Awards]] in 1989]]
Barrymore endured a troubled youth and continued acting during the decade. She starred in the anthology horror film ''[[Cat's Eye (1985 film)|Cat's Eye]],'' also written by King. It received positive reviews and Barrymore was nominated for a Young Artist Award for Best Leading Young Actress.<ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/cats_eye/|title= Cat's Eye|website= Rotten Tomatoes|date= October 2002|access-date= February 3, 2017|archive-date= February 3, 2017|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20170203162439/https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/cats_eye/|url-status= live}}</ref> For ''[[Dangerous Liaisons]]'', Barrymore declined the role of Cecile, which went to [[Uma Thurman]]. Barrymore starred in the romance film ''[[See You in the Morning (film)|See You in the Morning]]''. [[Vincent Canby]] of ''[[The New York Times]]'' criticized the "fashionable phoniness" of the film, but positively singled out Barrymore.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/movie/review?res=950DE4DA173EF932A15757C0A96F948260|date=21 April 1989|last=Canby|first=Vincent|title=Review/Film; The Jumbling of Households in 'See You'|newspaper=The New York Times|access-date=February 7, 2017|archive-date=February 3, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170203163721/http://www.nytimes.com/movie/review?res=950DE4DA173EF932A15757C0A96F948260|url-status=live}}</ref> In ''[[Far from Home (1989 film)|Far from Home]]'', she played a teenager who gets stranded with her father in a small, remote desert town. The film went largely unnoticed by audiences and received negative reviews from critics, who dismissed the sexual portrayal of her role.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.scoopy.com/farfromhome.htm|publisher=Scoopy.net|last1=Scoopy|first1=Uncle|last2=Wroblewski|first2=Greg|title=Far From Home (1989) from Tuna and Johnny Web|access-date=February 3, 2017|archive-date=May 20, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160520133456/http://www.scoopy.com/farfromhome.htm|url-status=live}}</ref>