Steven Spielberg has finally offered an answer to a question that has lingered for decades among fans of his 1982 classic E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial: did Elliott and E.T. ever meet again?
The beloved film starred Henry Thomas as Elliott, a 10-year-old boy who forms an extraordinary friendship with a stranded alien left behind on Earth.
Audiences around the world were deeply moved by the pair’s bond, and many were left in tears when E.T. departed at the end of the film, saying an emotional goodbye to Elliott.
While promoting his new sci-fi movie Disclosure Day, starring Emily Blunt, Spielberg was asked whether the two characters were ever reunited after that memorable farewell.
‘No, never saw him again, but he did dream about him, so there was a psychic link between the two of them,’ he said on the podcast Happy Sad Confused.
Responding to the question, the 79-year-old director touched his forehead and pointed to a key moment from the film. “If you notice that E.T. touched right here and said, ‘I’ll be right here,’” Spielberg said.
Steven Spielberg has finally revealed whether the two main characters of his 1982 classic ET the Extra-Terrestrial ever saw each other again
The movie starred Henry Thomas as a ten-year-old boy called Elliott who develops a fast friendship with a space alien abandoned by his fellows on Earth
Moviegoers around the world were touched by their bond, wiping away tears when ET finally leaves the planet and says goodbye to Elliott
According to Spielberg, that gesture created a lasting mental bond between the alien and Elliott — a connection he suggested remained with the boy for the rest of his life.
Actress Pat Welsh held the uncredited voice role of ET, amid a cast that included six-year-old Drew Barrymore in the part that made her a star.
Oscar-winner Carlo Rambaldi designed the animatronics for ET, creating a costume that was worn in various scenes either by dwarves Pat Bilon or Tamara De Treaux, or by a 12-year-old boy called Matthew DeMeritt who was born legless.
During his new podcast appearance alongside Blunt, Spielberg also confirmed the rumor that Harrison Ford turned down the lead role in Jurassic Park.
‘He may not remember that, but I do,’ said Spielberg, breaking into a laugh that managed to contain the chagrin he appeared to still harbor.
By the time Spielberg made the 1993 blockbuster, he and Ford already enjoyed a well-established working relationship via the Indiana Jones franchise.
However Ford rejected the lead role of Alan Grant in Jurassic Park, which was based on a bestselling novel of the same name by Michael Crichton.
When Blunt asked whether Spielberg was ‘cross’ with Ford for rebuffing him, the director replied: ‘I wasn’t cross, I was crushed.’
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Now, promoting his new sci-fi feature Disclosure Day starring Emily Blunt, Spielberg has found himself facing the question of if Elliott ever reunited with ET
Placing a finger to his forehead, the 79-year-old director reminded viewers: ‘If you notice that ET touched right here and said: “I’ll be right here”‘
The Jaws director noted that ‘then Sam Neill came available, and he’s Alan Grant – that belongs to him,’ earning a murmur of agreement from Blunt.
In 1993, the year Spielberg came out with both Jurassic Park and Schindler’s List, Ford also had a critical and commercial triumph in the shape of The Fugitive.
Spielberg, who has made a string of forays into sci-fi, has returned to the genre with his new film Disclosure Day, which was released in America on Friday.
Blunt and Josh O’Connor star respectively as a meteorologist and whistleblower exposing the US government’s cover-up of its contact with space aliens.
In setting up tension between human states and extra-terrestrials, Spielberg revived themes he explored in such films as ET and Close Encounters of the Third Kind.
The critics were impressed by the film to the tune of 82 percent on Rotten Tomatoes, while the public was slightly less enthused, resulting in a 74 percent audience score on the site.
