Questions
Who directed E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial and when did it come out?
Steven Spielberg directed it, and it was released on June 11, 1982. It was made on a budget of about 10.5 million dollars.
What is the movie actually about?
A boy named Elliott befriends a stranded alien and helps him find a way to phone home and reunite with his own kind. It is one of the most beloved family films ever made.
Who played Elliott and the other kids?
Henry Thomas played Elliott, Drew Barrymore played his little sister Gertie, and Robert MacNaughton played his older brother Michael. Dee Wallace played their single mother, Mary.
Wait, that is Drew Barrymore? How old was she?
Yes, that is a young Drew Barrymore as Gertie. She reportedly won Spielberg over at her audition by claiming she led a punk rock band.
Who designed E.T. himself?
Special effects artist Carlo Rambaldi designed the animatronic creature. His face was reportedly inspired by the likenesses of poet Carl Sandburg, Albert Einstein, and Ernest Hemingway.
How did they actually make E.T. move on screen?
Four puppet heads were built, and depending on the scene the costume was worn by two little people, Tamara De Treaux and Pat Bilon, plus a 12-year-old legless actor named Matthew DeMeritt. The creature reportedly cost about 1.5 million dollars over three months.
Who voiced E.T.?
Much of the voice came from Pat Welsh, who reportedly smoked two packs of cigarettes a day to get the raspy quality. She recorded for about 9.5 hours and was paid 380 dollars, while sound designer Ben Burtt blended in 16 other people plus animal sounds.
Why does E.T. eat Reese’s Pieces instead of M&Ms?
Mars reportedly turned down the chance to use M&Ms because they thought E.T. would scare children, so Hershey agreed to feature Reese’s Pieces instead. Hershey reportedly saw a 65 percent jump in profit as a result.
How big of a hit was it?
It passed Star Wars to become the highest-grossing film, eventually earning about 797.3 million dollars worldwide. It held that record for 11 years until Spielberg’s own Jurassic Park in 1993.
Did it win any Oscars?
It earned 9 Academy Award nominations and won 4, including Best Original Score for John Williams, Best Sound, Best Sound Effects Editing, and Best Visual Effects.
Is there a story behind Henry Thomas crying so convincingly?
At his audition, Thomas reportedly summoned real tears by thinking about his dead dog, which helped land him the role of Elliott.
Is ’E.T. phone home’ really that famous a line?
Yes. It ranked 15th on the American Film Institute’s list of the 100 greatest movie quotes.
What was changed in the 20th anniversary re-release?
For the 2002 Special Edition, the federal agents’ guns were digitally replaced with walkie-talkies and some dialogue was altered. Spielberg later said he regretted removing the guns and felt the film should represent its era unchanged.
Did John Williams really influence how the film was edited?
Yes. Williams built the score using polytonality and the Lydian mode for a dreamlike, heroic quality, and Spielberg loved the final chase music so much that he re-edited that sequence to match it.
Any strange bits of E.T. legacy trivia?
A deep-sea sponge species was nicknamed the E.T. sponge for its resemblance, and the notoriously bad 1982 Atari video game led to millions of unsold cartridges being buried in a New Mexico landfill, which was confirmed in 2014.
