WHITE SULPHUR SPRINGS, W.V. -- Given the public life and times of Drew Barrymore, a reformed alcoholic, drug abuser and party girl before puberty, it seems a miracle that she can star as Cinderella.

And do so convincingly, as some say, in a new twist on the old fairy tale called Ever After (A Cinderella Tale).

Barrymore, 23, plays the naive yet feisty character to Anjelica Huston's wicked stepmother and Dougray Scott's charming prince, in this case Henry, the prince of France in the 16th century.

Barrymore tries for an innocence that belies her stormy rites of passage into womanhood.

It is still possible, if seemingly improbable, to sense the wide-eyed six-year-old from Steven Spielberg's E.T.

She exudes confidence, warmth and a spirituality.

"I think it's a miracle if anyone can find balance in their life, you know," Barrymore allows when I suggest that it is a miracle that she can play the innocent with so much knowledge of the ugly side of life.

"I think people saw my transition publicly," she muses. "It doesn't bother me," she says.

"But, no matter who you are and what your childhood is, it's all about gathering up all the information (about life). Most of it you do need to learn first-hand. Then you learn from other's people's experiences or you learn stuff from books.

"I'm so glad I've experienced everything that I've experienced because it's led me to who I am at this very moment and I'm totally thrilled about that. I don't think I'm hot shit, by any means, but I feel good about myself."

So much so that promoting Ever After seems to be a crusade. Even though I interview her in West Virginia's most exclusive resort playground, Barrymore restricts herself to a few frames of bowling and retires early.

"I didn't come here to party, I came here to work," she says. "I want to be fresh and have a clear mind when I'm doing all this stuff. Hey, don't get me wrong, I love a good party. I just can't do it when I'm working. (That is) a life in balance, moderation and everything."

When she refers to "this stuff," she is talking about talking. Barrymore, intensely self-educated after dropping out of school at 13 in the midst of her recovery for her addictions to booze and cocaine, is as much a talker as Old Faithful is a geyser.

In the case of Ever After, Barrymore is convinced that the movie is a life-enhancing experience that empowers young women like herself. Her Cinderella is no victim.

"There were a lot of aspects I really related to in this film," she says. One of them is "the need for the acceptance of your family." Barrymore has a poor track record with her mother Jaid, who led her into party mode as a pre-teen before their relationship soured, and her father John Barrymore Jr., a failed actor who was homeless at one point in his life and who still rarely sees his daughter.

"There's no question with this poor woman," Barrymore says of her Cinderella role, "how painful it is for her. (You see) the lengths she goes to to gain the respect and love of this woman (her cruel stepmother).

"I think a lot of us feel this way with our families. I wish it wasn't the case. If I could change it, I would. But, since it is, I hope that people do deal with it as she does, which is triumphantly, her own way, which I love and respect.

"I hope I've done that. But it's hard for me to see myself objectively. I can see my characters objectively. Also, it's a touch of self-indulgence just to sit here and go: 'Me, I came through it, you know!' No thanks."

Which brings her back to the Cinderella character, named Danielle in the movie. Barrymore calls her empowering because she is allowed to espouse a democratic, class-less philosophy of life that would have sounded radical and even revolutionary to a prince of the 1500s.

"I love that in this film he (the prince) loves her for her heart and for her mind," Barrymore says. "That means so much to me as a young woman, especially in society nowadays. It is the pure heart that wins. It is the person inside that is appreciated because that person is going to come out no matter what you look like. I love that she is smart and driven. I really appreciate that. I love that she believes in a Utopian society and equality, not because she idealizes it but because she knows it can work and she comes from a place of inequality.

"This woman has taught me a lot. I think everybody is going to relate to this in that way and I'm always willing to bring what experiences I can lend to it. Because I would much rather draw on a personal pain or a happiness or a hope or a fear, or any of those things, than 'act' them. I loved doing this film. This woman is the most inspirational character I've ever known in my life."

Barrymore's philosophies smack of 1960s flower power idealism (she even named her own production company Flower Films), yet they tumble out of her with a disarming enthusiasm.

When she talks about her Ever After character being inspirational to her and potentially to audiences -- "I just love that!" -- she admits she would like to be inspirational to other young women. "I don't know if I'm there yet. I'm trying. I'm working my butt off to do it."

She doesn't sound like a phony.

Nor does her charitable work suggest someone who is merely mouthing cliches to cultivate a movie star image. Barrymore represents the Female Health Foundation, a national U.S. campaign for safe-sex education and condom use. She also volunteers and raises funds for Wildlife Waystation, an organization devoted to rescuing and offering sanctuary to animals which have been left homeless, especially after the closure of zoos.

"We all have the power not only to heal outselves but to heal others," she says.

"You can like sail through this life, just coast through it, or you can make a difference."

The DREW BARRYMORE File

EVER AFTER: It's a revised version of the Cinderella tale, told in live action in 16th century France.

GET PHYSICAL: "Andy (director Andy Tennant) and I used to call her Cinderella Balls of Steel!" says Barrymore.

ON feminism: "I'm an equalist." Barrymore is loath to call Ever After a modern feminist take on the fairy tale.

ON self-love: "When I got to play this woman, I felt good about myself."

IT's A Hard sell: "I can't see young men in a bar going, 'Cinderella, dude! This weekend!' " But their girlfriends should insist on going, says Barrymore.


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