HOLLYWOOD, Calif. — Are they a couple again or not? That's the question surrounding Drew Barrymore and Justin Long.
The pair, who started dating in August 2007, have been spending a lot of time together lately, prompting many to wonder if they've rekindled their romance after splitting last summer. On Friday, Barrymore paid a visit to the "Ellen DeGeneres Show," where even she admitted to the host that the relationship question is "very confusing."
"We're dear friends," explained the 34-year-old actress, who was accompanied by Long earlier in the week at the New York City premiere of new film, "Grey Gardens."
"I guess people find it a little confusing," continued Barrymore. "I totally understand. It seems like, 'What is the deal with them?,' but we just adore each other. We're in each other's lives, and we're friends, and we're working together, and we have worked together."
Barrymore and Long previously joined forces on the film "He's Just Not That Into You." They'll do so again this summer when they shoot "Going the Distance" together. While they spend plenty of time together, the "E.T." star insisted that it's simply platonic at this point.
"We're just friends," she stressed. "We are free to do whatever we want."
When DeGeneres suggested that their dynamic could change once one of them started dating another person, Barrymore said she understood.
"I would hope that they are fantastic people, because he's a great guy and he deserves the most happiness," she said of any potential suitors for Long.
As for her own dating life, Barrymore said she's not looking for romance right now with so much happening in her career.
"I'm still not ready for anything," she said.
[video:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qIx5UKl-QOQ&feature=related]