Drew Barrymore Opens Up About Turning 50

Talk show host and actress Drew Barrymore has opened up about turning 50, and she’s not upset about it.

“It can’t come soon enough. I feel like Frodo,” she said to AARP, referring to “The Lord of the Rings” character.

“I see that brass ring and I’m so excited! I have no issues with aging—this is the happiest I’ve been in my life,” she said in the wide-ranging interview. The former child star spoke about dating, staying positive, talking about PMS and more in the interview, which was published on January 23.

Drew Barrymore Said She Has ‘Seen the Light’ on Staying Positive About Herself

NetflixDrew Barrymore and Timothy Olyphant in ‘Santa Clarita Diet’

According to Barrymore, she wants to stay positive.

“I’m so sick of the guilt and sadness. It’s the greatest habit I will ever break in my life. When I talk about beating myself up, I see heads nodding and I’m like, ‘We can’t do this to ourselves anymore. I’ve seen the light.’ It doesn’t mean I’ve got it mastered, but I see the light enough to know that this isn’t good,” she told AARP.

Barrymore explained how she stepped back from acting for a time.

“I was in my early 40s, and not learning how to be my own healthy, independent individual, how to be the parent I dream to be. Being other people doesn’t help me figure that out right now. And the long hours of doing films were hours I wouldn’t have with my kids. I wasn’t going to do that,” she told AARP.

Drew Barrymore Explained Why She Talks About Topics That Are Often Kept Quiet

GettyDrew Barrymore.

Barrymore also opened up to AARP about why she speaks out about topics like menopause and PMS, which are often kept quiet.

“In one day, we covered gynecology, hot flashes, pooping in your pants, PMS—and we weren’t even doing a medical show! Sometimes when I’m waiting to walk out, I’ll have a lot of stuff on my plate—I’m worried about my parent-teacher conference meeting that didn’t go perfectly,” she said in the interview.

“Or I just fell 3 feet and hurt my ankle, and I’ve got to go to an MRI that afternoon. But then I limp out and say, “Can we just be real about this? Let’s put it all out there. Let’s cheer each other on. Let’s laugh,” she added.