Egypt Air’s ‘fake’ Drew Barrymore interview baffles readers

An interview with Hollywood actress Drew Barrymore featured in Egypt Air’s inflight magazine has been accused of being a fake, after readers were baffled by some of the bizarre answers allegedly given by the US star.

Initially posted on social media by Yemen analyst Adam Baron, pictures of the article have been shared thousands of times, with many expressing disbelief at the representation of Barrymore.

“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,” the article began, despite the actress previously stating that she loves being a working mother; the latest season of “Santa Clarita Diet” in which she stars set to air on Netflix in 2019.

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The feature piece proceeded to make a tally of Barrymore’s “17 relationships, engagements and marriages” before claiming that psychologists believe her “behaviour 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,” the article continued.

One particularly contentious question from the interviewer focused on Barrymore’s weight: “A few years ago, after your last delivery, you gained several kilograms that even your fans accused you of being overweight and neglecting your weight. Today I see you have returned to your previous graceful body; what is your secret?”

Barrymore was quoted as replying – with a smile: “I feel overwhelmed when someone tells me that I have regained my image and managed to lose that extra weight. However, I find this a great opportunity to encourage every woman who is overweight to work on regaining her beauty and body, especially that it is not as hard as one may think; it is all about determination and following the appropriate diet under the supervision of a physician.”

The article also featured an image of Barrymore holding the Egypt Air magazine Horus, a picture that was subsequently revealed to have been photoshopped.

That Drew Barrymore @EgyptAir in-flight magazine interview just keeps getting stranger. Per @HayesBrown, it appears that a photo of the actress holding a different Arab magazine was Photoshopped. https://t.co/2p6aOOtqmQ pic.twitter.com/mswOstFzsH

— Richard Horgan (@hollywoodspin) October 3, 2018

Barrymore’s response to a question on the progress of women and whether they need “even greater rights” than they allegedly have now, was also flagged by readers.

“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.”

“This is naturally reflected on women in the West who will not be satisfied unless they gain the rights they deserve to the society. This is especially true since women exert tremendous efforts that men are incapable of exerting due to their numerous commitments and obligations,” she said.

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Many social media users criticised the article as promoting outdated views in regards to women, using statements clearly not made by the actress herself.

However, Egypt Air defended the article, stating that it was “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”.

A spokesman for Barrymore has confirmed to US outlets that she “did not participate” in the interview, adding that the writer Aida Tekla said she wrote the article based on a press conference.

“So technically Drew did not sit down with Egypt Air for an interview, but a journalist who is a member of the HFPA (Hollywood Foreign Press Association) sometimes supplies articles to Egypt Air, and that’s what happened,” the statement read.