Los Angeles, March 6 – Hollywood actress Drew Barrymore has shared details of her phone call with John F. Kennedy Jr. and how it led to her memorable photo shoot inspired by Marilyn Monroe.
During the Thursday, March 5 episode of The Drew Barrymore Show, the actress and host spoke with Valerie Bertinelli and co-host Ross Mathews about her controversial 1996 cover for JFK Jr.'s magazine, in which she dressed up as Marilyn Monroe, according to ‘People’ magazine.
The Drew’s News desk crew showed a photo of the iconic George cover as Barrymore, 51, detailed how it all came together.
"I'll never forget. I was at home, in bed. I picked up the phone and said, 'Hi'. I mean, we were at the peak of this couple being, I guess, as big as Taylor (Swift) and Travis (Kelce)", Drew Barrymore said of Kennedy and Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy. "I don't know how they lived their life. Their existence wasn't peaceful. It was paparazzi every single second, everywhere they went. They couldn't even walk out their own door without it being a red-carpet fashion runway. And they were Camelot. They were this sort of royal couple”.
As for the moment she connected with the magazine founder, Barrymore said she didn't know where the "personal aspect" of their phone call "would come in”.
“He said, 'I want to do something that's gonna be controversial because I'd like you to pose as Marilyn Monroe. And, of course, I know the famous 'Happy birthday, Mr. President' very well, we all do”, she said of Marilyn Monroe’s 1962 performance for JFK Jr.'s father, John F. Kennedy. I said, 'Oh, okay... I'd really love some direction from you on what the tone is,'" Barrymore said, sharing that she asked JFK Jr. if the moment was getting his "seal of approval", sly acknowledgement or if he was "making fun of it”.
As per ‘People’, eventually, she asked JFK Jr. how she could "best represent this moment for you”.
"He just said, 'I want it to be straightforward. I don't want it to be bafoonery. I don't want it to be over congratulatory. I want it to be this sort of sensual, straightforward, confident moment’”, she recalled.
“And then we went and did the shoot and I heard they were really happy with the pictures and that was great. And then I saw the magazine and I was like, 'Oh my God, this is so crazy’”, she added.