Drew Barrymore may have left the baseball diamond behind, but a painful memory from Fever Pitch still tags along. Two decades after filming the rom-com classic, the actress says she’s still dealing with back pain from a stunt gone wrong.
She took a real fall during a scene at Boston’s Fenway Park. And not the metaphorical kind. Think hard turf, a painful landing, and years of “yep, still hurts” reminders. The movie may have wrapped, but that back pain? It stuck around.
A Real Fall Caught on Camera
It wasn’t a stunt double. No padding. Just Barrymore, the infamous Green Monster, and a poorly-timed landing.
“There’s a scene where I go on the Green Monster, the wall, and I fall,” Barrymore told Entertainment Weekly. “And when I did that, I fell really badly on my back.”
It wasn’t acting either. “You’ll see me fall and I start wincing and screaming — that was all real,” she added. No second take needed when the pain is that genuine. What makes it more brutal? She had to keep running, cameras rolling, despite the injury.
And the pain? Still showing up to the party.
Yes, It Still Hurts
She’s 50 now. And that old injury hasn’t exactly faded into a distant memory.
“I still have a bad back,” she admitted. “I’m like, ‘Did it happen on Fever Pitch?’” There’s something both tragic and weirdly funny about not being entirely sure when your back betrayed you. But Barrymore seems to take it with a sense of resigned humor.
It’s one of those aches that won’t quit — a reminder that physical comedy sometimes comes with real bruises. And lasting ones, apparently.
A Gentle Comedy, with a Big Heart
Fever Pitch, directed by the Farrelly brothers, might not top their greatest hits list for many fans. But for Barrymore, it was something special. And personal.
She called working with the brothers “the best time” and praised their ability to pivot from absurd to heartfelt. “They were my favourite directors… Kingpin, Dumb and Dumber — still my favourite movies,” she said. But this time, she saw another side of them.
“I was so happy to see that side of them because they are those guys and I was like, ‘Wow, the Farrelly brothers with heart, man. This is awesome.'”
There’s a clear affection in her voice when she talks about the project. Sure, it hurt — literally. But there was something bigger at play.
A Love Story Behind the Scenes
Funny thing? Fever Pitch ended up being about more than Lindsey and Ben’s fictional romance. Behind the scenes, another story was unfolding — this one real.
Jimmy Fallon met Nancy Juvonen, Barrymore’s producing partner at Flower Films, on set. And yes, it turned into the real deal. The two tied the knot in 2007, and Barrymore still gets emotional thinking about it.
She called Juvonen “the person who changed my life in the most dramatic way.” And being part of the moment her friend met her future husband? That hit different.
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“The person who changed my life in the most dramatic way, I got to somehow be in something that helped her find happiness.”
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“Thank God they found each other. I’m so glad I had anything to do with that.”
Barrymore didn’t just witness it. She was part of it. It’s not every day you play matchmaker by accident while filming a baseball rom-com.
Baseball, Boston, and a Bit of Fate
There’s another layer to Fever Pitch that’s worth noting. The film’s ending was rewritten in real time after the Boston Red Sox pulled off a historic World Series win in 2004. Talk about a rewrite no one saw coming.
Here’s what changed:
| Original Ending | Final Ending |
|---|---|
| Sox lose season | Sox win 1st World Series in 86 yrs |
| Story ends on romance | Love + Baseball triumph combo |
| Fictional sports twist | Real sports history written in |
Suddenly, a light-hearted rom-com turned into a time capsule of a city’s redemption arc. And Barrymore, even with a sore back, was right there in the middle of it.
One sentence now.
It wasn’t just another movie — it caught a cultural wave.
The Bittersweet Legacy of a Busted Back
So yeah, Drew’s still got some aches. But she also has a trove of memories wrapped in laughter, surprise, and a whole lot of love.
And sure, maybe her back’s a little worse for wear. But ask her if it was worth it? Her voice says it all.
“It’s the best when you want people you love to be happy, and you get to witness it starting,” she said. “Fever Pitch, to me, is the promise that good things happen to good people.”
There’s something beautifully honest about that. Not everything ages well — backs included. But some moments? They stay golden.
