Drew Barrymore has been working since she was a little child, with one of her first movies being Steven Spielberg’s E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial. To this day, the sci-fi flick is considered one of the director's and Barrymore’s best movies, and it’s also still very meaningful to her as she’s remained close to the legendary filmmaker. At the time, Speilberg kind of took the actress in, as she had a tough childhood, and he acted as a godfather of sorts. However, he also explained why he “felt very helpless,” during that time as he tried to help the young star, who was only 7 when they made the movie.
The Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark director explained that while he was working with Barrymore on E.T. when she was 7 years old, she asked him if he could be her father. Her biological dad, John Drew Barrymore was an alcoholic and abusive. While Spielberg said he couldn’t be her dad, he did agree to be her godfather. The two remain close to this day, but at that time, the director explained how “helpless” he felt while trying to help her, telling Vulture:
