You grow up the day you have your first real laugh–at yourself.

Barrymore’s line links maturity not to age or achievement but to self-awareness. A “real laugh—at yourself” implies the ability to see one’s own pretensions, mistakes, and anxieties in proportion, without defensiveness. That kind of humor can signal emotional resilience: you can acknowledge flaws while keeping your dignity intact. It also suggests a shift from adolescent self-seriousness to adult perspective, where identity is less brittle and less dependent on others’ approval. In a performer’s world—where ego, scrutiny, and reinvention are constant—the capacity for self-mockery reads as both survival skill and wisdom.