Wednesday, 14 February 2007

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Drew Barrymore: I thought I'd be dead before 30

Actress says she had a death wish

She's definitely alive and kicking, but Drew Barrymore thought she would be dead before she turned 30.

The actress, who admits to taking drugs from the age of 12, says she partied hard because she didn't believe she would ever live beyond her late 20s.

'I was a complete has-been by the time I was 14,' she admits. 'I think it had a lot to do with the fact that I was convinced I was going to die before I got to 25.

'I had a need to experience everything all at once and intensely so. It was never enough for me to be told how hot a stove was. I had to be burned to figure it out myself.'

Drew, 31 - who shot to fame aged just seven in the Spielberg film, E.T. - admits she hit rock bottom before getting her life back on track.

'There were a lot of tough periods in my teens,' she told the Mail on Sunday. 'I was blacklisted by Hollywood. I'd walk into casting auditions and directors would laugh at me.

'At 17, I was scrubbing toilets in a coffee shop. That's when I realised I had to grab back my dream and return to acting.'