Drew Barrymore says she made sure her 'Charlie's Angels' remake featured women who 'didn't act like men'

• Drew Barrymore produced and starred in the 2000 remake of "Charlie's Angels."
• In an interview with Insider, she said she purposefully made sure the characters didn't "act like men."

Drew Barrymore has become known for her blatant and vulnerable interview style that helps her connect with her guests on "The Drew Barrymore Show."

But in the early 2000s, before changing the talk show industry was a thought in her mind, she was instrumental in creating movie characters that became instant heroes to young women around the world.

During an interview with Insider in April, she identified some choices she made to advance the representation of women while filming the "Charlie's Angels" franchise that may have been overlooked.

Barrymore produced and starred in the 2000 film remake of the classic 1970s TV series "Charlie's Angels" alongside Cameron Diaz and Lucy Liu. She told Insider she's unsure if it came across on-screen, but she was very insistent that the iconic trio of detectives didn't "act like men or try to pretend they were masculine" even while in they were in the middle of physically fighting.

While promoting her partnership with Tidy Cats, Barrymore described her character Dylan and Dylan's partners Alex (played by Liu) and Natalie (played by Diaz) as women who didn't "want to all of a sudden become men and or hate men or try to be the man."

At the same time, she said, the angels were also "dating crazy."

"While they're kicking someone's ass, they'd be like, 'anyway, last night, hold on'. Like, boom, boom, boom, boom, boom. 'And then he didn't call me back," Barrymore said while narrating the sound effects of a fight. "And that's how girls really are in real life."

Barrymore explained that the Charlie's Angels and characters she played, like Danielle in "Ever After," wanted love stories but also wanted to "rescue" themselves.

For Barrymore, feminism is best embodied by the angels, who she says "don't want to all of a sudden become men or hate men or try to be the man. It's like, no, we're the girls, and they are boys. We're just like there's something we've got to do, and we want to do it together. "

Women, she adds, don't "have to take down the other gender or pretend to be like it."

However, they may on occasion have to stand up to their male counterparts.

On a July 2021 episode of the "Asian Enough" podcast, Lucy Liu recalled her "Charlie's Angels" costar Bill Murray showing up to a rehearsal he wasn't scheduled to attend and "hurling insults" at her.

Liu didn't go into specifics, but called the language Murray used while arguing with her "inexcusable and unacceptable."

"I was not going to just sit there and take it. So, yes, I stood up for myself, and I don't regret it," she added, noting that she didn't care if she was "low on the totem pole" at the time.

In an October 2021 segment of "The Drew Barrymore Show," Barrymore explained why she admired Liu's response.

"In the workplace, it is so important that we respect each other. And if you don't feel you're being respected, to speak up for yourself and to have people around you say, 'I back this person,' Barrymore said. She went on to add that she was "proud" that Liu didn't "tiptoe on the eggshells" of the incident but instead addressed it explicitly and moved forward.

Tidy Care Comfort is available exclusively at Walmart, which also sells Barrymore's appliances and home decor line, "Beautiful by Drew Barrymore." The contest to get tips from Barrymore on decorating your litter-box space ends May 8.