Drew Barrymore stars as an animal-loving volunteer who tries to save a family of majestic grey whales in her new movie, Big Miracle. Adam Tanswell talks to the Hollywood icon to find out more…

Tell us about your new movie!

Big Miracle is a tale about three Californian grey whales that get trapped in the Arctic. A reporter stumbles across the story and gets it out across America – and my character, a Greenpeace lady, goes to fight for the whales.

Are you an animal lover in real life?

I love animals. In fact, I go crazy for animals! I meet people all the time and it’s lovely, but I go totally bananas if I see just one dog walking down the street. I have a dog named Douglas and he’s a really good little boy. Douglas is a mixed-breed dog and he’s the cutest thing in the world. I love dogs. Mind you, I love all animals. I’m wacky for animals!

What’s been your wackiest animal encounter?

One time, I was at the Grand Canyon when I saw a cute deer on the side of the road. I fed it a Ritz cracker, but then it started kicking me – and it chased me down the street! I had to run to my friend’s car, but then it crawled up the window and gave me loads of dirty looks. It was hysterical, but it was also really bizarre. Its hooves definitely hurt, too. They left little bruises on my leg. That was definitely a wacky animal encounter!

You shot Big Miracle in Alaska. Was it cold?

It was very, very cold in Alaska – but it was a lot of fun. Oh, and I have another animal story for you from the film shoot in Alaska! I took Douglas on a hike but, at one point, we turned a corner and we came smack-dab in the face of two giant moose. It was scary. Moose are huge! And they’re not very friendly a lot of the time. I wanted to turn around and run the other way, but I didn’t want to make any sudden movements. Instead, we slowly retreated.

How does it feel to travel all over the world with work?

It’s fantastic. It’s definitely one of the perks of the job. I’ve been very lucky in that sense. Big Miracle was shot in Alaska, but I’ve shot other movies in Hawaii and all over the place.

What else do you love about acting?

I love having different life experiences, which is what you get to do when you pretend to be someone else. For this movie, I got to learn what it’s like to go to Alaska and what it’s like to be a Greenpeace activist. For other movies, I’ve had to learn everything there is to know about roller derby events or I’ve discovered what it’s like to work with penguins. I love learning new things.

Do you enjoy being interviewed?

It completely depends on the interview. Some people are really nice and ask fun questions like this. When that happens, it’s really fun. But I don’t like it when I get asked really personal questions. I don’t want to be rude, but some things are private. I want to keep certain things to myself.

What would you ask if you were doing this interview?

I would ask what my favourite food was.

And what is your favourite food?

Macaroni and cheese. Why? Because macaroni and cheese is the best! You don’t eat much mac and cheese in the UK? Oh no! But it’s the most amazing food in the world. Seriously, it’s delicious.

Big Miracle is in cinemas now. Check out the trailer below!