Among the many Cinderella movies we’ve seen over the years, 1998’s Ever After has long been one of the most charming of them all. Drew Barrymore most definitely had a lot to do with that by bringing life to a more brainy version of the classic rags-to-riches story. With nearly 25 years between the movie’s release and today, Barrymore shared what the movie meant to her.
Barrymore shared her thoughts on Ever After while recently promoting her kids Netflix series Princess Power, which she executive produced alongside fellow morning TV host Savannah Guthrie. When asked about a time when she was empowered as a woman in her career, the Charlie’s Angels actress said this:
I know creative things have done that for me in my life, not only when I was a kid but when I was in my early 20s. I did Ever After. I was like, 'I don't think I would be the same person without giving a spin on what we think a princess is supposed to be.’
During an interview with Entertainment Tonight, Barrymore shared that the movie came in an important time in her life when she was making bigger decisions about what types of narratives she wanted to be a part of in Hollywood. She continued:
I was in my early 20s and then I was trying to start a company and wanted to tell stories and make films and that particular messaging that you can rescue yourself and you don't have to wait to be rescued is definitely the thing that set me up best in my life, and I don't know who I would be honestly without it. It changed the way I saw the world.
Drew Barrymore has gone in all sorts of directions throughout her career, between getting her start as a child actor in E.T. and the first Firestarter movie before the 2022 remake, her many rom-com roles and her iconic Scream cameo. When Ever After came around, the actress was in her early 20s, and as she shared, the movie’s message actually changed her view of the world and empowered her to not follow the typical storyline we’ve been told over and over in fairytales.
The actress also said that she believes when we’re told a “change of narrative,” it can change our lives as girls and women and it can be a really powerful thing. We don’t always think about how important media can be in how its messaging affects our society, but seeing a Cinderella be more focused on intellectual ideas than being married off not only had a profound effect on Barrymore, but loads of audiences in the late ‘90s.
Ever After starred Dougray Scott as the prince to Barrymore’s Cinderella and Anjelica Huston as her wicked stepmother. Fans of the movie will also remember that Barrymore’s character totally befriends Leonardo da Vinci. The movie hit theaters nearly 25 years ago, on July 31, 1998, to positive reviews and commercial success.
If you’re feeling nostalgic for Ever After, you can stream it now with a Hulu subscription. Drew Barrymore’s children’s series, Princess Power, is now streaming on Netflix.
