09 October 2023 , 12:21
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E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial star Henry Thomas is unrecognisable more than four decades after the classic movie was released.
The sci-fi film, directed by Steven Spielberg, hit cinemas in 1982, and catapulted Henry, and his co-star Drew Barrymore, to superstardom in the 1980s. The youngster was just 10 years old when he landed the part of Elliott in E.T., with Drew playing his onscreen little sister Gertie. The iconic family movie followed Elliott, who was still reeling from his parents’ divorce, as he discovered an alien creature in his backyard, and tried his best to protect E.T. from government officials and send him back to his home planet.
Henry impressed audiences with his emotional performance, and had millions of viewers in floods of tears at the end of the film, when a heartbroken Elliott says goodbye to E.T. as the alien boards a spaceship that takes him home to a far flung planet. The sci-fi film, widely regarded as one of the best movies of all time, was Henry’s second acting role, and he wasn’t even the first boy considered for the role of Elliott.
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Henry, 52, landed the role of Elliott when he was just 9 years old (Getty Images)Another actor had already shot scenes for E.T. but was reportedly let go from the movie after bad behaviour, forcing Steven Spielberg to hold auditions for the part of Elliott. Henry read for the role, and impressed Steven so much that the director offered him the job on the spot. Discussing his audition with Esquire magazine, Henry said he was asked to improvise an emotional scene.
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“I read a scene from some early version of the script, and then I was asked to do an improvisation. I think the gist of the improv was, 'You found someone, and they’re going to take them away from you, and it’s your friend, and you really don’t want your friend to go away.' So I started crying, and really going for it I guess,” he explained.
The sci-fi drama is regarded as one of the best movies of all time (Universal Pictures)Henry only began acting to get out of attending piano lessons, but filmmaker Steven was so bowled over by his talent he immediately cast him as Elliott after his heartbreaking improvised audition. “The improvisation was so heartfelt and honest that I gave him the part right there. I was blown away by this nine-year-old,” he told Premiere magazine.
The actor, now 52, confessed he found Hollywood overwhelming, and wanted to take a step back from acting after a “rollercoaster” start to his career. “It was the second film I had ever done. I got the part through a weird alignment of coincidences, and luck. Suddenly my phone was ringing and everybody wanted me in their film. It was kind of a roller-coaster ride for a few years there,” he confessed.
Since E.T., Henry has appeared in movies including Legends of the Fall, Gangs of New York, Ouija: Origin of Evil and The Shining sequel Doctor Sleep. He also revealed he was ready to quit acting after a writer’s strike caused him severe financial hardship, as he lost out on work. “I’ve stumbled along in terms of fortune. So I was really thinking of getting out of LA to start a farm and raise my kids there. I had to do something,” he told the Guardian earlier this year.