Drew Barrymore has been in this business for decades now, and she is still an actor with unparalleled talent. Among her diverse body of work, Grey Gardens remains one of the most fascinating projects she has ever been a part of. The intriguing story of the distant relatives of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, not only intrigued the ones who witnessed the 2009 production but also intrigued the nation at a point in time.
The story of the mother-daughter duo spoke so very loudly to Barrymore that she practically begged director Michael Sucsy to consider her for the role of “Little Edie”, and confessed dwelling in the extremes in preparation for the role.
Drew Barrymore Went Insane in Preparation for Grey Gardens
While speaking with Dax Shepard on his podcast, Armchair Expert, actress Drew Barrymore revealed some shocking details and measures she took while filming the movie that once took the nation by storm. The eclectic duo of mother-daughter, both named Edith Beale, who happened to be the aunt and the first cousin of Jackie Kennedy, transitioned from a lavish high society lifestyle to the decaying confines of the Grey Gardens in Long Islands and that is what formed the crux of the story.
And therefore to fully encapsulate this distinguished character with such a captivating life story, Barrymore completely immersed herself in the process of turning herself into “Little Edie”, so much so, that it blurred the lines between reel and real, at a point in time. She revealed on the Armchair Expert podcast that,
“When I did a film called Grey Gardens, I think I officially f***ing lost my mind. I went right down into this woman’s insanity,–I wouldn’t talk to anyone, I wouldn’t watch TV, I wouldn’t drive a car, I wouldn’t listen to radio. I only read what she read. I had that same avocado green IBM Selectric [typewriter] and that thing is not light … and I would just write manifestos. I was like Ted Kaczynski as Edie Beale in Grey Gardens.”
Despite it being a scary and traumatic experience, the television film showcased Barrymore’s unmatched talent.
Drew Barrymore Begged the Director for This Role
Once Drew Barrymore got to know this film was in the making, she did everything in her power to meet with the director, Michael Sucsy. However, even before meeting with the director, she was made aware in no uncertain terms that she wouldn’t even be granted a chance to be in the running. She practically had to beg to fix a meeting with the director. As she once said to Newsweek,
“I called to meet the director and I was told he didn’t want to meet with me, he had other actresses in mind,–So I thought, ‘Well, I like a challenge, nothing has come easy to me,’ so I begged and pleaded for a meeting.”
She further continued saying,
“When I finally got one, I came with an annotated script full of research and I told him I’d do whatever I could to get the part. I’ve never studied so hard to be a character in my life. I took dialect lessons, wore different teeth and contact lenses. I cut myself off from my life.”
The actress revealed the amount of research work she put in even before she bagged the role, which might have eventually impressed the director and led him to change his mind. And the rest is history.
Grey Gardens is available to stream on Max.
Source: Armchair Expert
