Drew Barrymore Explains To Cynthia Erivo Why She's So Touchy With Her Guests

Drew Barrymore is getting real about why her guests get an extra dose of TLC on her talk show.

On Tuesday, Barrymore had a candid conversation with Cynthia Erivo about why she can be so affectionate and what it has to do with her personal life.

“I don’t know how I would ever hold back from holding hands, hugging, snuggling,” Barrymore said.

The “Charlie’s Angels” star noted that she, like most people, has noticed the “electric connection” between Erivo and her “Wicked” co-star Ariana Grande during their press run for the film.

“Is it true that she is as touchy?” Barrymore asked. She told Erivo that people have to “warn me” to “back off a little bit” with guests.

But Erivo welcomed Barrymore’s touchy-feely nature, saying she appreciates it as a Capricorn.

Cynthia Erivo attends the opening ceremony of the Red Sea International Film Festival 2024 in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

Arnold Jerocki via Getty Images

“I think I’m sort of used to it now,” Erivo said. “If it’s not connected, I’m like: ‘What’s wrong? What’s happening? Where are you?’” She added that if physical touch isn’t present, she seeks it out.

Erivo also told Barrymore that she feels people are “afraid of physical connection.”

“We assume that physical connection can only be romantic,” Erivo said. Barrymore exclaimed: “Yes! That’s my point! You’re saying it so much better than I did.”

“In fact, I think when there is a romantic connection, I’m far more timid,” Barrymore continued.

Erivo suggested that people don’t always realize “that how we communicate sometimes is by physical touch.”

“Sometimes you can’t say anything, and you’re in a room and it’s just like a squeeze of a hand,” she said.

Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo attend the "Wicked: Part One" European Premiere.

Lia Toby via Getty Images

Erivo told Barrymore that a simple “squeeze of the hand, or just a pinch of a finger” is how she and Grande often communicate.

“If we could all be more comfortable with physical touch, I would like that world,” Barrymore replied.

During an August interview with “Entertainment Tonight,” Barrymore said she planned to get better at practicing “physical distance,” which she said “is not my strong point.”

“Do you know how hard the pandemic was for me? I was alone in a studio by myself,” she said. “I like to be around people.”