2006-2010

The previous year, Drew had quietly gotten involved with the UN’s World Food Program. In the April 2006 issue of Marie Claire magazine, she shared the story and photos of her recent travels through Africa assisting the WFP with feeding school children. She had been searching for a philanthropic cause she was passionate about and felt like she had finally found her calling with the WFP. Alongside her charity work, she kept herself busy with the release of Curious George, for which she lent her voice talents, and modeling in a stunning set of ads for Missoni’s 2006 spring/summer line. She then headed to New York to film Music and Lyrics with Hugh Grant, which was executive produced by Drew’s Flower Films partner Nancy Juvonen.

At the beginning of 2007, it was announced that Drew and Fabrizio Moretti had ended their nearly 5 year relationship. A newly single Drew appeared ever-positive as she did press for the releases of Music and Lyrics and Lucky You. She was selected by People Magazine as Most Beautiful, and then announced as the latest face of CoverGirl as well as co-creative director for the makeup company. The campaign included magazine ads and TV commercials featuring a fresh and fun Drew. She was also chosen by another major fashion house to be featured in their campaign, this time for Gucci’s jewelry line.

Flower Films began work on their next project, the ensemble piece He’s Just Not That Into You. Many notable names appeared in the movie including Ben Affleck, Jennifer Aniston, and Scarlett Johansson. Drew herself took a small role and began spending time off-screen with another of the film’s stars, Justin Long. Justin and Drew had met years prior via their mutual friend Sam Rockwell and sparks flew between them during filming. Once she wrapped, Drew took on one of her most challenging and exciting roles to date – that of Little Edie Beale in the dramatization of the mother and daughter from the famous documentary Grey Gardens. Drew completely immersed herself in the part and engaged in vocal training and prosthetic makeup to become Edie. Many were skeptical of Drew’s ability to pull it off, but her dedication prevailed.

Although Drew didn’t appear in any on-screen roles in 2008, she went behind the microphone again to voice the title dog in Beverly Hills Chihuahua after being offered the part by her Never Been Kissed director Raja Gosnell. She continued to be active with the WFP and gained publicity for the cause when she personally donated 1 million dollars to the foundation on The Oprah Winfrey Show. On the personal front, she and Justin were reported to have split up after less than a year. However, most of her time that year was spent preparing for her next movie, Whip It. Drew had fallen in love with the coming of age story set in the world of roller derby and realized it was just the project she’d been awaiting for her directorial debut. Besides stepping into the role of director, she also served as producer and had a small part in the film so she could engage in all the training with the other females in the cast. She wrapped up the year by filming a supporting role as Robert De Niro’s daughter in Everybody’s Fine.

2009 was an exciting year of releases for Drew. He’s Just Not That Into You performed well at the box office, and Grey Gardens aired on HBO to rave reviews, particularly highlighting Drew’s performance. Then, it was announced that Drew and Justin had signed on as the leads in the long-distance relationship romantic comedy Going the Distance. Once again they began to be seen together and it was apparent that they had rekindled their relationship, although neither would admit it to the press. After completing filming, Drew began a national tour promoting the release of Whip It. She visited cities like Boston and Detroit to meet with fans and screen the movie. Although the film didn’t do well in ticket sales, it was well received by both critics and movie-goers. New fans continue to discover and fall in love with the movie to this day.

As expected, Drew began to receive award nominations for her work in Grey Gardens, including an Emmy, a Screen Actors Guild Award, and a Golden Globe. She lost out on the Emmy to her co-star Jessica Lange, but was chosen as the winner of the latter two. It was a dream come true for Drew, as she had never received such major recognition for her acting. The Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation also honored her with the GLAAD Vanguard Award. Drew and Justin quietly parted ways, but their close friendship was still evident as they promoted the release of Going the Distance. Within a year after she lost her dogs Templeton and Vivian, she suffered the loss of her “fluffy cloud” Flossy of old age. A new rescue dog named Douglas helped ease the pain. At the end of 2010, she made the trek to Alaska to film Big Miracle, based on the true story of three California blue whales stuck under the ice in the 1980s and the struggle to help break them free. Drew spent the remainder of the year on the set of what was to be her last acting job for some time. Unexpectedly, she would begin to focus on other endeavors in the coming years.

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Photos: (1) Word Food Program, (2) CoverGirl, (3) Justin, (4) Whip It, (5) Whip It promo tour, (6) Golden Globes,
(7) Missoni, (8) Music and Lyrics, (9) He’s Just Not That Into You, (10) Grey Gardens, (11) Oprah, (12) Going the Distance, (13) SAG Awards
Biography text written by The Drewseum and accurate to the best of our knowledge.
Information and photos compiled from various sources. Please do not reproduce this content without permission.
© The Drewseum 2010-2015