Drew Barrymore shared an emotional telephone reunion with her former Never Been Kissed co-star Sean Whalen during last Wednesday's episode of her eponymous talk show. The 50-year-old host warmly referred to the 61-year-old character actor as her "muse" as they reminisced about their time working together on the iconic 1999 romantic comedy.
A Defining Moment of Creative Support
Whalen revealed a pivotal moment from the Never Been Kissed production that has stayed with him for decades. He had "worked really hard" developing his character of Josie Gellar's assistant Merkin Burns when director Raja Gosnell attempted to film a scene involving a "booger" that Whalen felt didn't align with his carefully crafted portrayal.
"You said, 'Then we're not even going to shoot it because I don't want the studio to ruin anything that Sean did,'" Whalen recounted to Barrymore during their conversation. "And you stood up for me in the first hour [of shooting] and I was blown away. I was just a young, goofy kid and you had no reason to do that."
The Lasting Impact of Professional Respect
The Washington, DC-born Barrymore, who served as executive producer for the first time on Never Been Kissed, has clearly left an indelible mark on Whalen's career approach. The film itself proved commercially successful despite poor critical reception, grossing $84.6 million worldwide against a $25 million budget.
"The best comedy I ever worked on was Never Been Kissed and I've never forgotten it," Barrymore gushed during their conversation.
Whalen explained how Barrymore's early support directly influenced his own creative process as he moved into directing and producing roles. "You have no understanding how it affected me. I'm directing now and producing, and my first film that I did, they got a crew for me, and I said, 'I'm gonna get the cast.'"
"Just like you, I cast the right people and I went to every one of them and I said, 'I learned this from Drew Barrymore. I want you to bring me whatever you want to do. And I trust all of you,'" Whalen continued, visibly emotional.
A Longstanding Creative Partnership
The two actors originally met in 1992 on the set of Avi Nesher's $3 million-budget horror film Doppelganger, where Barrymore played Holly Gooding and Whalen portrayed Gas Man. Their professional relationship continued to flourish over subsequent years.
Barrymore described Whalen as "a big muse to my partner Nan [Nancy Juvonen] and I, and we asked him to do Charlie's Angels as well." In that 2000 action film, Whalen played the bomb-wielding Pasqual aboard a plane while Barrymore appeared in disguise as LL Cool J.
Current Projects and Career Updates
During their heartfelt conversation, Barrymore made sure to promote Whalen's 2024 feature directorial debut Crust, which is currently streaming on Tubi, Prime Video and Apple TV. The actor, also known for roles in Twister (1996) and The People Under the Stairs (1991), expressed profound gratitude to his former co-star.
"Thank you for everything, Drew. You changed my life. You changed my life," Whalen concluded emotionally.
Meanwhile, Barrymore continues her successful television career with The Drew Barrymore Show now in its sixth season, maintaining its position as the No. 2 syndicated talk show across all key demographics behind LIVE! with Kelly and Mark. She also remains busy producing and serving center-square duties in the second season of CBS' Hollywood Squares reboot, which resumes on February 22.
The thrice-divorced mother-of-two additionally has a mystery acting role in Rachel Israel's comedy Influenced, starring and written by her former sister-in-law Jill Kargman. The film, which also features Gwyneth Paltrow, Jason Biggs, David Krumholtz, Christine Taylor and Justin Bartha, screens at the Tampa Bay Jewish Film Festival on February 21.
Barrymore's own career began in childhood with blockbuster roles in films like E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, Firestarter and Irreconcilable Differences, establishing her as a Hollywood mainstay whose influence continues to resonate with colleagues decades later.
