Can this supreme-cringeworthy EgyptAir interview with Drew Barrymore be real?

There comes a point on every long-haul flight when another film won't shake off the boredom and ten minutes with the airline's magazine becomes a fleeting necessity.

But flicking through EgyptAir's in-flight publication, Horus, this week, you might have thought the jetlag was kicking in early when reading an "exclusive interview" with none other than Hollywood star Drew Barrymore.

Besides its terrible design, the article in Egypt's flag-carrier is littered with grammatical errors and unlikely quotes that, charitably speaking, look like they have been put through Google Translate at least a few times.

A bizarre blurb then leads into a Q&A in which Barrymore is asked questions on her children, hiatus from the big screen, and "gaining weight".

Author Aida Tekla (sic) - identified by EgyptAir as Dr Aida Takla-O'Reilly, head of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association - is quoted as telling Barrymore that she "gained several kilograms" after giving birth, with fans accusing the actor of "being overweight" and "neglecting [her] health".

Rather than cut short the interview when grilled on such an unflattering topic, Barrymore appears to give a series of intimate and distinctly un-Hollywood-like responses.

"I feel overwhelmed when someone tells me that I have regained my image and managed to lose that extra weight, especially that I felt depressed due to the significant increase in my weight after delivering Frankie," Barrymore responds, "smiling".

"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; it is all about determination and following the appropriate diet under the supervision of a physician."

Either Barrymore is the most zen film star ever, or the interview could be... well, totally fake, as some were quick to suggest on social media.

Hours after writer Adam Baron highlighted the article on Twitter, Barrymore's team confirmed to The Huffington Post that she "did not participate" in the interview.

A bewildering introduction to Barrymore also states she has had "almost 17 relationships, engagements and marriages".

The writer suggests this "[psychologists see this behaviour as] only natural since she lacked the male role model in her life after her parents' divorce when she was only nine".

The Wedding Singer star is also quoted as saying: "[I] would only resume my career when I feel that my daughters can depend on themselves".

Given that Barrymore's children are aged around five and three, one would expect this quote as being at least somewhat inaccurate given that she is already working on her latest screen project, Netflix's horror-comedy The Santa Clara Diet.

She is also quoted boasting of her children knowing the names of presidents and kings in "some major countries" and "several substantial figures on the political scene".

The New Arab approached EgyptAir for a comment but have been unable to get a response.

Despite this, the airline appears to be standing by its claim that the article is authentic. 

"Dear sir, this a professional magazine interview conducted by Dr. Aida Tekla Former president of the HFPA (Hollywood Foreign Press Association) and one of the voting members of the Golden Globes," Egypt Air told The New Arab's aviation analyst Alex Macheras on Twitter.

Such lapses in reporting are not uncommon in a country where media is categorised as "not free" by Reporters Without Borders.

Egypt routinely jails critical journalists and closes publications run by independent-minded reporters and editors.


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