Drew Barrymore went to war with studio executives to protect a supporting actor’s creative vision on the 1999 set of Never Been Kissed, the performer revealed in a new interview.
Sean Whalen, 61, told News Of Los Angeles that Barrymore and producing partner Nancy Juvonen handed him free rein to build his character, Merkin Burns-Josie Geller’s quirky newsroom assistant-from the ground up.
At a Glance
- Barrymore let Whalen improvise every line and choose every costume piece
- She blocked a scripted gag that would have undercut his work
- The standoff happened on day one, shot one
- Why it matters: A-list star power can shield creative risk-taking from studio interference
Total Creative Freedom
“Literally, that entire role they let me create from the costume to the lines to everything, and the scene in the bar was completely improvised,” Whalen said. “But she fought for me. She fought for me with the studio and the director to say, ‘Sean’s got a really good idea. I want him to run with it.'”
The actor, who first gained fame in the 1993 debut “Got Milk?” commercial, credits the 1999 teen comedy as a “comedic standout” in his decades-long résumé.
On-Set Protection
Whalen remembers Barrymore stepping in when the script called for a cheap visual joke at his expense.
“In the script, it said I had a booger on one of my things and she goes, ‘Nope, we’re not even going to film that,’ to the director, ‘because I don’t want the studio to see it and ruin all of Sean’s hard work,'” he recalled.
The intervention happened immediately-“day one, shot one”-and set the tone for the production.
Career Aftermath
Today Whalen splits his time between acting and coaching. He began teaching in 2015, eventually working with Playhouse West, and says the collaboration with students reminds him of the trust Barrymore placed in him.
“It’s the best to teach. It’s the best to watch someone grow,” he said. “My students know who I am. That’s when I started to think, ‘Oh, I should start coaching.'”
Key Takeaways
- Barrymore used her clout to shield an improvisational performance from studio notes
- Whalen’s Merkin Burns became a fan-favorite part of the late-90s hit
- The experience shaped Whalen’s later approach to mentoring young actors
