Drew Barrymore Was ‘Looking Too Unattractive,’ Told ‘Tone It Down’ for ‘Never Been Kissed’

The 1999 comedy was the first film Barrymore produced, while also starring in it alongside Michael Vartan, David Arquette, Leelee Sobieski, Jessica Alba and so many more notable names, including James Franco in his film debut.

But the true lasting legacy of the film is the character of Josie “Grossie” Geller, portrayed and produced by Barrymore at just 24 years old. “At that time, people were very weary of actors being producers,” Barrymore said on her eponymous talk show this past week.

The former child star who grew up in the spotlight was chatting with her guests Christine Taylor and David Lascher, who both know a thing or two about that, and about transitioning into being taken serious as an adult in the industry.

She knew that with Never Been Kissed being her debut as a film producer, she had to get a win under her belt. “If you didn’t make the film work, and you produced it as an actor,” she said, “you are likely to not be able to do it again.”

As such, she felt incredible pressure while producing the film, on top of starring in it. Admitting she was also “so scared” because she felt this was her one shot to step into this world and be accepted, Barrymore found herself bending to studio notes.

An infamous part of the process that many stars, directors and producers have lamented and complained about, Barrymore felt pressured to bend to their whims more than she otherwise might have as an already-established star by this stage in her career.

One note that came back was about the characterization and visuals of her character in the film, Josie. “I would get these calls from the studio and they were like, ‘I’m sorry, but you’re just looking too unattractive. Stop it,'” Barrymore recalled.

As a producer, her thought was “good.” After all, the film is a send-up of the famous trope of the awkward, nerdy type transforming into a gorgeous “cool kid.”

While this is a work assignment for Josie’s copy editor character, “Josie Grossie” is also petty representative of her actual high school experience, so the emotional transformation resonates a little more authentically.

As part of her vision for the film, Barrymore apparently had Jose’s transformation back into her nerdy, high school self even more over-the-top than what fans saw on the screen. “They were like, ‘No, no, no, no, no. It’s too far,'” Barrymore said of the studio heads. “So I was forced to even tone it down a little bit because I had gone even farther than.”

She did admit that when they rephrased their note to be less about the aesthetics of her character and more about the story itself, she found herself more responsive to the feedback.

“They said something that appealed to my sensibilities rather than my ego,” she explained. “They were like, ‘We don’t want you to lose the heart because you’re going so far for the comedy.’ And I was like, ‘Great argument. Let me dial it back a little bit.'”

“And so Josie what you see there is me dialed back and it came out and it worked,” Barrymore continued. “And we got really lucky and I’m very, very grateful and I would walk around just going I can’t believe this work. We’re gonna get a second shot.”

Flower Films would go on to produce multiple film and television projects, both starring and not starring Barrymore, including Charlie’s Angels, Donnie Darko, 50 First Dates, He’s Just Not That Into You, Princess Power, Santa Clarita Diet, and even The Drew Barrymore Show.

Barrymore flourished as a leading lady on both the big and small screen before her recent transition into popular daytime talk show with the launch of her namesake in 2020.

She even celebrated her new show by welcoming Josie Grossie to the set within the first two months. You can check out Drew chatting with Josie, and helping her learn how to deliver the news, in the clip below.