Drew Barrymore has appeared on TikTok for the first time as her iconic Never Been Kissed character, Josie Geller. Barrymore starred in the classic 1999 rom-com as a romantically inexperienced reporter for The Chicago Sun-Times who goes undercover as a high school student for a story. As Josie attempts to befriend her younger classmates, she develops mutual feelings for a teacher (Michael Vartan) who believes her to be a student. The movie was a box office success at the time and remains a cultural touchstone for fans of the romantic comedy genre.
Although Josie eventually becomes a well-adjusted 25-year-old woman, she is shaped by her past experience as an awkward, unpopular teenager. Bullies called her "Josie Grossie" in high school, a nickname Josie is determined to overcome during her second turn. Barrymore had fun hamming it up as a geeky teen in the movie, especially during a memorable scene in which Josie dons an offensively pink, puffy and highly unfashionable prom dress. Josie is heartbroken when a popular boy pretends to ask her to prom, only to arrive at her door and throw eggs at her with his real date. Barrymore recently reprised the "Josie Grossie" role on her CBS talk show, The Drew Barrymore Show, decked out in a pink dress, scrunchie, and braces.
Barrymore slipped into the character again in her first ever TikTok post, in which the actress answers questions as Josie. The video features Barrymore dressed as high school-era Josie Geller in her infamous prom dress, presumably the same costume she wore on her talk show. Drew (or rather, Josie) is taking part in a viral dance trend in which TikTok and Instagram users post questions and answers in text form while dancing to Hoàng Read's song "The Magic Bomb." Watch the full clip here.
In the video, a terminally uncool Josie grooves to the beat of Read's song, while playfully reminding followers that she hates eggs and isn't Drew Barrymore, though she admits they do "look alike." Barrymore joined the platform recently and posted the video just one day ago, but it has received over 2.5 million views in that short time. While The Drew Barrymore Show does already has an official TikTok account that occasionally features Barrymore speaking directly to the camera in original content for the platform, the account is presumably run by an employee of the show's social media department, making this a more personal TikTok debut from the star herself.
Barrymore's dorky dancing is a delightful throwback for fans of the film. It's also satisfying to see an alternate reality where teen Josie appears to be having fun on prom night rather than suffering at the hands of her classmates. It is interesting that Barrymore chose to continue a skit from her show for the first video on her personal account. In all likelihood, the costume was just too good to let go to waste. The video may be an indication that Barrymore intends to use the account primarily to promote the show rather than post personal content. Whatever the case may be, the Never Been Kissed star is no less susceptible to TikTok addiction than any other user, and may post more viral dances soon.
Source: Drew Barrymore/TikTok