10 Actors Who Broke The "Child Actor" Curse

There's a moment in E.T. when a young Drew Barrymore is told by the visiting space alien to be a "good girl." And for a few years, it would have been much to his chagrin to revisit his old pals to see what they were up to.

Barrymore's youth played out like a Larry Clark movie, flashing David Letterman on his birthday, hanging out at Studio 54 and entering rehab at the age of 13. But what to do when one is carrying the burden of such a legacy. Her grandfather was the legendary actor Lionel, only to be born herself by John Jr. That's a lot to live up to out of the womb.

For a while, it didn't look like Barrymore would be a success story - more a cautionary tale. But a suicide attempt, a long talk with David Crosby and a juvenile emancipation later, she somehow found her way. By the mid-90s, she had formed her own film production company, fashion line and became the romantic lead in some of Adam Sandler's better-ranked work.

She just wrapped up a run on the cult Netflix hit Santa Clarita Diet, walking as far away from her past as one can imagine.