Drew Barrymore has praised her late father for teaching her how to parent with "so much love".
The 45-year-old actress was born to actor John Drew Barrymore – who died in 2004 – and her mother Jaid Barrymore, and has said that whilst she often wished she had a father who would "fit in" with society, she’s ultimately glad of the way she was raised.
Writing in a social media post to mark Father’s Day (21.06.20), she said: "My mom chose a wild card for my dad. He was a mad poet hedonist man child! But I understood that as a kid. Somehow I have zero baggage or dad issues. I think I would have liked to have a dad who didn’t look so out there. Or who stayed. Or was capable of anything really. But his wildness runs through me. His gifts are here. His demons to overcome are mine to break! I love him not for who I wanted him to be, but for who he was. And as I look at all the photos of dads today, doing their dad job, sure, there is my tiny self that wished for him to fit in. But he never did. And I’m not sure I did either. And I’m not sure what anything is supposed to look like, or what it really is beyond the images?! (sic)"
The ‘Blended’ star says both her parents taught her how to raise her own children – Olive, seven, and Frankie, six, whom she has with her ex-husband Will Kopelman – and praised her Hollywood star father for giving her a "wildness" she "truly does cherish".
She added: "But I do know this… both my parents have played a major role in who i am as a parent. And none of it looks perfect. But it functions with so much love. And togetherness. And availability. I don’t have a picture of a dad today to show how great everything was. I have a picture to show what it was. And that is my story. And that is perfect in itself. My dad gave me the gift of life! A wicked sense of humor! And that wildness that I truly do cherish. (sic)"