I'd never in my life viewed the words Roller and Derby in a sentence together until the promotional event for the talented Drew Barrymore's latest film “Whipit.” For those who are not familiar with the term, imagine the toughest, most ruthless contact sport, then add in some tattoos, neon blue fishnets with a tear in the knee, vintage Barbie roller skates and you've just defined Roller Derby.

As I stood under the monstrous pastels and intricate watercolor masterpieces at the Art Epicenter in South Boston, I felt small and unnoticed. The magnificent artwork was not the only thing on display tonight. Miss Drew Barrymore would be making her entrance any minute now, and the air was thick with anticipation. As I allowed my eyes to wander around the congested room, Roller Derby teams from all over the country veiled my pupils. I had never witnessed anything quite as hardcore in my lifetime. The girls on skates seemed to make the geometric shapes and pop art hanging on the walls appear bland and diluted. I was in a fantasyland where red and gold dreadlocks, cheetah print tights, metallic tongue rings, and aggression are the norm. The deranged gang of feverent butterflies fluttering their delicate wings violently within the pit of my stomach seemed to soften. The inner badass rocker girl inside of me was in a frenzy. Just when I came to realize that this was not surreal Drew's pleather laced, spiked heels stepped out onto the glazed marble floors through the doorway.

She was dressed for the part in a mini skirt, plaid trench coat, a matching black and crimson plaid tailored shirt and funky fresh knee-highs. It's always nerve wracking when you first meet as gifted an actress and as successful a person as Drew. A selected bunch of celebrities are nothing more than divas and pre-madonnas, whose noses are sky high and personas plain disappointing. Still, I anticipated that Drew would be outgoing and fun to interview, but she turned out to be much more.

Drew, who became a starlet almost immediately after leaving her mother's woom, is one of the most real, down to earth people that I have ever encountered. She grew up in the limelight but has never taken the “good life” for granted. In fact, giving back to those less fortunate is something that Drew knows well. Drew is a proud member of the World Food Program, an organization that fights to end starvation and malnourishment in foreign countries. Drew donated 1 million dollars out of pocket to WFP in order to provide more children in need of a hot meal with a nutricious, balanced diet, as opposed to scavenging for scraps of anything that they can get their hands on, sometimes eating nothing for days at a time.

When asked about her personal past she did not hesitate to reveal her dark side. Not many people can speak with such ease when discussing tender subjects such as lethal drugs and numerous failed attempts at rehab. Ironically, Drew held back nothing. Every last word that fell from her lips was sincere, intimate and full of life.

A piece of advice that she had given me was to always surround yourself with wonderful compassionate people. And when you get to thinking that for whatever reason, your life has come to an end and that nothing could possibly put things back together again, think twice because, whatever it may be, as excruciating as it may seem, it will get better. Life goes on.

Personally, I could not have possibly chosen a more worthy candidate for Teen Ink to interview. Drew's outlook on life has inspired me to live juicily and to never doubt that certain intense passion that I have for writing.