EgyptAir's magazine Horus apologise to Drew Barrymore over bizarre viral interview

The 'surreal' interview was spotted last week
Apology: EgyptAir's in-flight magazine has said sorry to Drew Barrymore over the bizarre interview
Carlos Alvarez/Getty Images
Natasha Sporn10 October 2018
The Weekender

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EgyptAir’s in-flight magazine has apologised to Hollywood actress Drew Barrymore over a bizarre interview that went viral last week.

The “surreal” article, published in the airline’s publication Horus, was shared thousands of times on social media last week, with many questioning its legitimacy.

Barrymore’s team said that she “did not participate” in the interview but EgyptAir stood by the article, which publisher Ahram Advertising Agency now say caused confusion due to translation errors.

Their statement said that the interview in question was submitted in Arabic to Horus before being translated into English, causing some confusion.

They said: “We are about to investigate this by checking thoroughly the source material that the translator depended on to write the interview.

“We stress that we hold the highest esteem for the actress Drew Barrymore and we are aware of how successful she is and how many admirers she has around the world.

Bizarre: Drew Barrymore says she did not participate
Getty Images

“We apologise for any misunderstanding that might be interpreted as an offence to the great artist.”

The agency also stressed that the named author, Dr Aida Takla, did not write the introduction to the piece.

The offending interview, spotted last week, began: “Despite being unstable in her relationships most of her life, despite the several unsuccessful marriages and despite the busy life of stardom that dominated her life for several years; the beautiful American Hollywood actress Drew Barrymore has recently decided to temporary [sic] take an unlimited vacation to play her most crucial role as a mother.”

As the interview - plagued with grammatical errors - progressed, the dubious sounding quotes included: “I could not resist performing the most important role in my life – being a mother – in which I hope to be conscientious” and “I do not intentionally follow certain parenting methods with my daughters and I do not consult with psychologists”.

A question on her post-pregnancy weight, in particular, caused a furore on social media with Barrymore quoted as having said: “I feel overwhelmed when someone tells me that I have regained my image and managed to lose that extra weight.

"However, I find this a great opportunity to encourage every woman who is overweight to work on regaining her beauty and body, especially that it is not as hard as one may think."

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