Drew Barrymore Munches On Human Flesh In Her ‘Santa Clarita Diet,’ Transforms To A Quirky Zombie In Upcoming Netflix Series

Drew Barrymore is all set for her first television role in the upcoming comedy series Santa Clarita Diet. And it looks like Drew is in full zombie mode as she munches on human flesh for her cannibal regimen.

The highly-anticipated Netflix series promises viewers a non-traditional sitcom that will feature “a dramatic change” in Drew’s character, USA Today revealed Thursday. According to reports, Santa Clarita Diet follows the story of Drew Barrymore and Timothy Olyphant as Sheila and Joel Hammond as they face a married life full of cannibalism. Deadline also shares a deeper look on the lives of Sheila and Joel in Netflix’s upcoming zombie/cannibal-themed series, scheduled to premiere on February 3.

“Husband and wife realtors Joel and Sheila in the dark comedy. They’re leading vaguely discontented lives in the L.A. suburb of Santa Clarita with their teenaged daughter Abby (Liv Hewson), until Sheila goes through a dramatic change sending their lives down a road of death and destruction…but in a good way.”

Apparently, Drew’s character, Sheila, dies and resurrects in the pilot episode of Santa Clarita Diet. As her journey as a zombie begins, the entire family has to deal with the changes that come along it with it. This includes Drew’s uncontrollable hunger for raw meat – human flesh to be exact.

To add hype to Santa Clarita Diet, Netflix even released promotional photos for the series, including Drew sitting in a chair while enjoying a glass of what looks like a smoothie. But a closer look will reveal gore contents in it like eyeballs and fingers. The 41-year-old actress even joked about her new found weight loss diet.

“If you ate nothing but protein every day, you’d really thin out!”

It was also revealed that Netflix even paid Instagram stars for a more believable approach of promoting Santa Clarita Diet. In the said promotional images, the models can be seen holding a Santa Clarita Diet jar while flaunting their fit and gorgeous physique. Both Drew and Timothy also have their own ads in glossy tabloids that promote the “diet product.”

The 10-episode zombie-themed series was created by Victor Fresco, the humorous mind behind Better Off Ted and Andy Richter Controls The Universe, while Drew and Timothy co-produced. According to reports, Drew was intrigued by the dark turn of events in Sheila’s life, making her take the character despite being known to be picky when it comes to her roles. The actress even shared how excited she is in portraying Sheila in Santa Clarita Diet.

“What if she finds herself, and we do this sort of Cro-Magnon type of evolution with her over the course of the 10 episodes. No gimmicks, no prosthetics, just an awakening. I just really enjoyed just shedding a snakeskin with her, so it became a really fun obstacle that I wasn’t even planning for but seemed so conducive and fun and healthy for my own life.

In addition, the show’s “real optimism” and humor made her grab the opportunity to play the part. “I don’t want to watch a show about a couple fighting and falling apart, I can’t handle it right now. It’s not heavy, but it’s not lacking in a sort of sweetness if you will. But it’s also got bite and backbone and balls,” Drew says.

To recall, Drew was going through a dramatic divorce for the third time with Will Kopelman. The couple tied the knot in 2012 and announced their split in April last year. Having two young daughters, Olive, 4, and Frankie, 2, plus a dramatic bout with divorce, the actress has not worked that much on screen.

Santa Clarita Diet marks Drew’s first television series role. With its humor and storyline, the series might be the perfect project for the actress considering all the stress and drama of her personal life recently.

“I think it’s a very perfect recipe for 2017, and I had no idea in early 2016 when I was trying to figure out if this was even possible that it would be so right for my life. I like things that are easy to digest. Pun intended.”

Check out the human flesh-eating Drew Barrymore in Santa Clarita Diet starting February 3 on Netflix.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j-gR1fuGNU8

[Featured Image by Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images]