‘E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial’: The Child Actors Didn’t See the E.T. Puppet Until Filming Started
40 years after its release, E.T the Extra-Terrestrial is still considered one of Steven Spielberg’s finest works. He drew remarkable performances from then-child actors Drew Barrymore and Henry Thomas with a unique filming approach.
Spielberg shot the movie in chronological order. So he actually didn’t let the kids see the puppet alien until the cameras were rolling.
‘E.T the Extra-Terrestrial’ is one of the highest-grossing films of all time
E.T the Extra-Terrestrial is a 1982 film that follows a young boy named Elliot (Henry Thomas) who befriends a sweet stranded alien and hides it in his home unbeknownst to his mom. When the government learns of the extra terrestrial, Elliot and his friends and family begin looking for a way to send him home.
The sci-fi movie received mass critical acclaim and won four Academy Awards and two Golden Globes, including one for Best Picture. It was also a massive box office hit. With a budget of $10.5 million, the Spielberg project went on to make over $790 million globally. And when adjusted for inflation, it ranks as the seventh highest-grossing film of all time.
Steven Spielberg’s unique approach resulted in terrific on-screen moments
These days, CGI can bring life to anything imaginable. But early ’80s technology wasn’t that advanced. So, Spielberg and his design team created the animatronic puppet version of E. T. seen in the film.
But the director shot the film in chronological order. And he kept E. T. hidden from the young cast until it was time to start filming their scenes.
“I insisted on shooting the film in complete continuity, so the kids knew, emotionally, where they had been the day before, and they pretty much didn’t have any idea of where they were going the next day,” Spielberg told Time.
His approach ultimately paid off, as it resulted in the authentic cast expressions seen in the movie. “So, like real life, every day was a surprise,” the filmmaker explained. “Finally, when E.T. began to die, Drew, Henry Thomas, and Robert really believed that this was happening to their lives.”
Drew Barrymore believed E. T. was real
Drew Barrymore was 6 years old when she landed the role of Elliott’s younger sister Gertie in E.T the Extra-Terrestrial. And according to Barrymore and co-star Dee Wallace, the young actor believed E. T. was real and often talked to the puppet on set.
“From what I remember, ET was kept alive on set at all times,” Barrymore said on The Drew Barrymore Show. “I would go have lunch with ET a lot.”
Wallace revealed that Spielberg would keep puppeteers on E.T even when they weren’t filming. And she said that made Barrymore even more sure the alien was real.
“[Spielberg] had two guys on E.T. at all times, so that any time you went over to talk to him, his eyes could work and his head could go up and down and he could respond to you,” Wallace said. “They would put ET in a corner when he wasn’t working and we found Drew and she’s over there, just talking to him.”
