Representatives of actor-director Drew Barrymore have claimed that she “did not participate” in a bizarre celebrity profile published in an Egyptair inflight magazine.
The interview in Horus magazine, bylined to Aida Tekla, rapidly drew attention after being posted on Twitter by political analyst Adam Baron. Its opening paragraph has drawn particular scorn, for its clumsy phrasing, poor grammar and insensitive observations. “Despite being unstable in her relationships most of her life, despite the several unsuccessful marriages and despite the busy life of stardom that dominated her life for several years; the beautiful American Hollywood actress Drew Barrymore has recently decided to temporary [sic] take an unlimited vacation to play her most crucial role as a mother.”
This interview with Drew Barrymore in the Egypt Air in flight magazine is, umm, surreal. pic.twitter.com/fN3lNHXbL0
— Adam Baron (@adammbaron) October 2, 2018
The article then goes on to state: “Psychologists believe that her behavior is only natural since she lacked the male role model in her life after her parents’ divorce when she was only 9 years. Ever since that time, she has been subconsciously seeking attention and care from a male figure; but unfortunately things do not always go as planned and she has not yet succeeded in any relationship for various reasons.”
The bizarre replies attributed to Barrymore in the Q&A section have also been lampooned. Barrymore is quoted as saying: “I cannot deny that women made a great achievement over [the] past century, there is significant progress recorded by people who study women status throughout history.” Another reply on the subject of parenting reads: ““I do not intentionally follow certain parenting methods with my daughters and I do not consult with psychologists... I focus on nurturing their minds as well as their small bodies.”
In a statement to the Huffington Post, the actor’s representative said Barrymore “did not participate” in an interview and that they are “working with the airline PR team”. The BBC have quoted Barrymore’s representatives as saying she did not “technically... sit down with EgyptAir for an interview” but that the quotes were drawn from a press conference.
An article about Barrymore, bylined to Dr Aida Takla, appeared in Arab-language publication al-Ahram in August.
Egyptair defended the article on Twitter, stating: “This a professional magazine interview conducted by Dr. Aida Tekla Former president of the HFPA (Hollywood Foreign Press Association) and one of the voting members of the Golden Globes.” Their Twitter account also retweeted a “clarification” appearing to come from Tekla, which said: “This doesn’t negate the fact that the interview with Drew Barrimoor [sic] which took place in New York is genuine & far from fake. As far as Drew we interviewed her several times I saw her grow up before my eyes she is charming and talented.”
