At seven years old, she became one of the most famous children on Earth.

Her face appeared on posters, magazine covers and television screens around the world. Audiences adored the little girl with enormous eyes, an irresistible smile and an emotional honesty that seemed impossible for someone so young.

But while millions believed they were watching a childhood dream come true, the girl behind the smile was already entering a nightmare.

Before she was old enough to drive, she had experienced alcohol, drugs, nightclubs, rehabilitation and a psychiatric institution. By 14, she would take the extraordinary step of becoming legally independent from her own mother.

Then Hollywood abandoned her.

Her unusual journey began almost immediately after birth.

She appeared in a commercial at just 11 months old and made her movie debut at five in the science-fiction thriller Altered States. Acting was part of her inheritance: she belonged to a famous theatrical family whose history stretched through several generations.

The family name opened doors.

It also carried a legacy of addiction and instability.

Her father, an actor who struggled with alcohol, largely disappeared from her childhood. Her mother became her manager, escorting the little girl into an adult entertainment world for which she was completely unprepared.

Then came the film that changed everything.

In 1982, she played the younger sister of a boy who discovers a stranded extraterrestrial. Her character’s mixture of innocence, humor and tenderness helped make E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial one of the most beloved movies ever created.

The seven-year-old became a sensation.

She appeared on Johnny Carson’s television program, charming the host and audience with the confidence of a veteran performer. She attended premieres, gave interviews and earned more money than most adults.

Yet she still needed someone to be her parent.

Instead, she was introduced to nightlife.

She later described accompanying her mother to places such as Studio 54 while still a child. By nine, she was drinking alcohol. Marijuana and cocaine followed as she moved deeper into a world where adults treated her fame as permission to ignore her age.

The little girl who had poured liqueur over ice cream in a famous movie scene was no longer pretending.

By 12, her substance use had become severe. At 13, she entered rehabilitation. After a suicide attempt, she spent approximately 18 months in a psychiatric facility.

The institution was harsh.

There were strict rules, locked doors and consequences she could not escape. At the time, it felt like imprisonment. Years later, however, she said the discipline gave her boundaries—something her chaotic upbringing had never provided.

The experience forced her to confront an unsettling truth.

She had been a global celebrity, but she had never been allowed to become an ordinary child.

After leaving treatment, she briefly stayed with musician David Crosby and his wife, who provided a sober household. But rebuilding her life required an even more radical decision.

At 14, she successfully petitioned for legal emancipation.

The court granted her the rights and responsibilities of an adult. Soon afterward, she moved into her own apartment.

Freedom did not bring immediate happiness.

Hollywood studios saw her as unreliable and unemployable. The child star who had once enchanted the world struggled to obtain auditions. With bills to pay, she worked ordinary jobs, including waiting tables and cleaning toilets.

The fall could hardly have been more dramatic.

Yet humiliation became the beginning of reinvention.

In her late teens and twenties, she embraced a rebellious public image. There were impulsive marriages, provocative photo shoots and a notorious television appearance in which she climbed onto David Letterman’s desk and flashed him with her back to the camera.

Gradually, the chaos became confidence.

Films such as The Wedding Singer, Ever After, Never Been Kissed and 50 First Dates revealed an adult performer who could combine vulnerability, eccentric humor and emotional warmth.

Audiences fell in love with her again.

This time, she was not simply performing. She was also building power behind the camera. She co-founded a production company whose projects included Charlie’s Angels, turning the former child star into a successful producer and businesswoman.

Motherhood created another transformation.

She welcomed two daughters during her marriage to art consultant Will Kopelman. Although the marriage ended, she remained focused on giving her children the stability she had never known.

She established routines, protected their privacy and attempted to create a warm home built around presence rather than celebrity.

The woman who once said she had effectively parented herself was finally able to experience family from the other side.

Her career evolved again when she became the host of a daytime talk show. The format allowed her natural curiosity and emotional openness to become professional strengths.

At 50, she no longer resembled the cautionary tale Hollywood once expected her to become.

She had survived early fame, addiction, institutionalization, estrangement and rejection. She had cleaned toilets after starring in one of history’s biggest films—and climbed back without hiding the scars.

The child star who befriended an extraterrestrial, entered rehabilitation at 13 and rebuilt herself as an actress, producer, mother and talk-show host is Drew Barrymore.