Henry Thomas Talks ‘E.T.’ As It Celebrates Its 40th Anniversary

It’s been 40 years since E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial first landed in theaters and in the hearts of generations of audiences.

Director Steven Spielberg’s Oscar-winning classic tale of a young boy called Elliott, played by Henry Thomas, who befriends an extraterrestrial accidentally left behind on Earth, broke records, and made box office history. It has grossed $794.9 million against a $10.5 million budget.

To celebrate the landmark anniversary, E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial has been rereleased on 4K, Blu-ray, and Digital. I caught up with Thomas to talk about his memories of making one of the great movies of all time, his audition tape that went viral, and more.

Simon Thompson: I want to start by asking you about your relationship with E.T. Has it changed over the last 40 years?

Henry Thomas: I don’t know if it’s changed so much, but time changes everything. Just knowing that it’s 40 years is a thing because that’s significant. It’s odd that you talk about any film after the original press tour, but I’ve been doing this press tour since 1982. It’s a real phenomenon that the film has stuck around this long.

Thompson: What do you recall about seeing it for the first time? You experienced it on set and making the movie, but seeing the finished product and vision is always different. Was it at a screening on the lot?

Thomas: The first time I saw the film, in its entirety, because I saw pieces while doing some ADR work after filming, was with an audience. I watched the audience reacting to the film, which was very exciting because I knew that they were completely absorbed in it. That’s a good feeling as a performer to sit in the audience and see they’re glued to the screen.

Thompson: When you talk about E.T., which I can only imagine is often, do you sometimes remember things you had forgotten about the experience?

Thomas: I don’t, not in my recollections, but when I get together with Dee Wallace, Robert MacNaughton, and Drew Barrymore, we all collectively talk about things, that’s when you have these revelatory memories where you go, ‘Oh, yeah, I do sort of remember that.’ Hearing it from someone else is nice because it gives you a new perspective.

Thompson: When you all get together, and I don’t know how often that is, but who has the best memory?

Thomas: Every Sunday, we get together (laughs). I’m kidding. It’s for events like this. I saw Drew for the first time in 20 years just a couple of days ago. It’s not that often. I see Dee and Robert quite a bit because we do conventions together.

Thompson: When the E.T. was released, it instantly became such a huge thing. What do you recall of that time? You were a young child, and it was your second movie, but did you kind of get what was going on? The journey even took the film to the Oscars.

Thomas: Well, I didn’t get to go to the Oscars, but it was apparent, probably around two weeks after it was released, that it would be in theaters for a long time. It stayed in theaters for about a year which was very unusual, even for the time, and then it became a worldwide sensation, which was very bizarre. I was dubbed in different languages, and people recognized me to the same degree when I traveled internationally. It was pretty overwhelming as a kid because I had no experience with that at all.

Thompson: Have you ever met any of those other Elliotts from around the world?

Thomas: No, I never have, but that would be really interesting.

Thompson: It’s one thing to hear from fans of the film, but when you talk to people in the industry, what are the conversations you have? What do people want to know?

Thomas: I think it’s mostly anecdotal. The fans are genuinely curious about the film, and the other people I work with in the industry are more curious about the other professionals involved in the movie. That seems to be the lay of the land. The industry people want the inside information on the other industry people, and the fans want the inside information on the film.

Thompson: I saw Steven talking about this at the TCM Classic Film Festival screening here in LA earlier this year which is featured on the rerelease. E.T. is something that he still talks about very fondly. What is your relationship with Steven like now? I know it was a solid one when you made the movie.

Thomas: Yeah, but again, it was ten weeks in 1981 that we worked together. My relationship with Steven Spielberg professionally began and ended there. It’s a very special film, and it’s unique and quite rare that any film has this kind of success. We share that, so I think we all have a special place in that universe, but I was a machinist on the line doing a bit, and I did it. My job was done.

Thompson: You’re probably aware that the audition you did for Steven went viral several years ago when it landed online.

Thomas: I was aware of it. I just wish I could monetize it (laughs). That would be fantastic.

Thompson: Did you ever think that would see the light of day?

Thomas: No, you don’t because it’s an audition. It’s not meant to see the light of day, so I don’t really know how I feel about that.

Thompson: Do you think you could make E.T. now or was it very much the right movie at the right time?

Thomas: The audience has made the film popular. I don’t know if audiences turn out anymore like they did in 1981 because there are so many other avenues. You don’t have to, and it’s all about convenience. I think the attitude towards films has shifted, and people see it as entertainment for their homes, and by being in their home as a performer, they somehow own you. It’s very different than when people would go to the theater and line up and see a movie and say, ‘That was great. Let’s see it again tomorrow or at the next showing.’ or, ‘Let’s come back on the weekend and see it and bring some friends.’ That doesn’t really happen anymore, so I think it would be up to the audience. The universal themes are still there; people are still subject to them, and we have good performers and filmmakers. It’s really the audience that decides.

The 40th-anniversary edition of E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial is now available on 4K, Blu-ray, and Digital.