Ahead of her first film hitting theaters this weekend, SZA checked off another first: her talk show debut.
The Grammy Award winner appeared on “The Drew Barrymore Show” Monday and kicked off her interview lauding the actress for being her inspiration. The “Good Days” singer said she wrote a letter to the talk show host she never sent, thanking her for being “one of the few lovely white women” she emulates.
“When you’re younger and you’re a Black woman, there’s not a lot of examples all the time, and one of the few lovely white women that I looked up to so much on television, it was you because you were so yourself,” SZA said. “You were quirky, your smile wasn’t perfect.”
SZA even released a song titled “Drew Barrymore” on her 2017 album “Ctrl.” The R&B singer said the song wasn’t just named after the actress, it was “inspired by the way you’ve made me feel my entire life,” she said.
The singer went on to highlight all of the quirks that Barrymore confidently embodies that made her more self-assured.
“I have a slight speech impediment and people laugh all the time,” the singer added. “But it’s like I love the way you talk and like just all the you-ness of you, your laugh … It just reminds me of all the things about myself that make me nervous, but on you it shines so brightly. You gave me permission to be myself and feel like this is so cool.”
The “50 First Dates” actress expressed her love right back to SZA, hugging her and recounting her experience shooting the music video for “Drew Barrymore” in 2017. Barrymore made a quick cameo in SZA’s music video.
SZA will make her acting debut in the Issa Rae-produced film “One of Them Days” alongside Keke Palmer. The buddy comedy follows SZA and Palmer as they attempt to avoid eviction and keep their friendship intact.
Watch the full “The Drew Barrymore Show” interview here:
“One of Them Days” comes out in theaters Friday Jan. 17.
