Summary
E.T. the Extra-Terrestrialis a hit family movie featuring a gentle alien who befriends a boy named Elliott. However, according to one of the stars, they fought to tone down some sexual undertones, which could have made it a little less family-friendly.
Released in 1982,E.T. The Extra-Terrestrialis ascience fictionmovie directed and produced bySteven Spielberg. It starred Henry Thomas as Elliott, Drew Barrymore as his younger sister Gertie, Robert MacNaughton as his older brother Michael, and Dee Wallace as Mary, their mom. One of them recently recounted the movie and shared a scene they refused to do in the iconic film.
Wallace appeared in an episode ofStill Here Hollywoodpodcast. She told host Steve Kmetko that there could’ve been a racier version of the film. “There’s a whole B story inE.T.about E.T. having a love affair with Mary, a love crush on Mary,” Wallace shared. She added that “there’s little bits of it left in there.” According to her, there was a particular scene when E.T. came to her room while she was asleep and placed Reese’s Pieces on her bedside table. Spielberg allegedly “wanted the sheet a little lower than I was comfortable with.” However, Wallace did not agree with Spielberg’s instruction because it wasn’t appropriate for a family movie. She explained:
I argued my point that this was a family film.
Wallace and Spielberg consulted writer Melissa Mathison and producerKathleen Kennedyto find a middle ground. They eventually agreed to pull the sheet up to Wallace’s shoulder blades, which was fine with her. Wallace shared that she had known the film would be a critical and commercial success early on after seeing the audience’s response.The Howlingstar also revisited working with Barrymore, who was only a kid at the time. According to her, she had always known that theBlendedactress was up for great things — to be a producer and director. Barrymore co-founded the production company Flower Films with Nancy Juvonen in 1995, and has produced many of her TV shows and films. She also made her directorial debut in the 2009 sports comedyWhip It. Wallace remembered how the then-little Barrymore approached her while she was sitting in a high director’s chair and told her that she wanted to sit in her lap. “She just knew what she wanted,” Wallace said oftheScreamstar.
What Would E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial Be Without Its Entirely Wholesome Aesthetic Intact?
E.T.was a commercial and critical success as a family movie, appealing to both children and adults. In fact, many said that it was one of their earliest emotional movie experiences. It was timeless and heartwarming because the audience can easily relate to its themes of loneliness, friendship, family bonds, and childhood wonder. It can easily tap into one’s inner child, and it’s hard for one not to shed a tear, especially in E.T.’s death scene, where the alien is very sick and dies – at least that’s how many feel before finding out later on that E.T. is still alive. It’s heartbreaking to see Elliott and Gertie in tears while they watch the doctors revive the extraterrestrial. It touches on the themes of loss and helplessness, which anyone can easily connect to because we are designed as social beings.
One of the most talked-about and favorite scenes is the magic moment when Elliott’s bicycle flies. Elliott and E.T. are trying to escape government agents, and the latter uses his alien abilities to lift the bicycle into the air. The flying bike scene is one of the most celebrated moments in film history.Amblin Entertainment, a film and television production company founded by Spielberg, Kennedy, and Frank Marshall, even used it as the company logo. E.T. is a great family movie. Wallace was right not to dwell on Mary and the alien’s affair because it gave more screen time to Elliott’s friendship with E.T., which was what most loved about the film.
