Egypt’s national airline has doubled down on a bizarre in-flight magazine article on Drew Barrymore after the actress’ representatives denied an interview had taken place.
The profile piece, published in EgyptAir’s magazine Horus, went viral after journalist Adam Baron tweeted images of the glossy spread on Tuesday, calling it “surreal”.
Riddled with grammatical oddities and outlandish statements, the article focuses on Barrymore’s supposed abandonment of her acting career for motherhood.
It opens with a psychoanalysis of the former E.T. star, who is designated “unstable” and seemingly chastised for her romantic history of “almost 17” failed relationships. The author assures readers that “psychologists” conclude Barrymore’s condition “is only natural since she lacked the male role model” following her parents’ divorce as a child.
The piece then moves on to parenting, which Barrymore, 43, allegedly refers to as “performing the most important role in life.” She is quoted as likening raising her two daughters to “growing a small plant, waiting for its ripe delicious fruits after a few years.”
The article concludes with a meditation on gender equality. Barrymore allegedly acknowledges the “significant progress” made by women in society, but contends, “Women exert tremendous efforts that men are incapable of exerting due to their numerous commitments and obligations.”
An unnamed spokesperson for Barrymore told the Huffington Post that the actress “did not participate” in the interview.
The president of Barrymore’s film production company said that the article was “based on what [the author] says she heard Drew say” at a press conference. “So technically Drew did not sit down with EgyptAir for an interview,” Flower Films president Christopher Miller told Buzzfeed News.
But EgyptAir defended the article on Wednesday. In a tweet, the national carrier said that it was based on a “professional magazine interview.”
The carrier also retweeted a “clarification” from the author who claimed she spoke with Barrymore “several times.”
