Broken records and a Harrison Ford cameo: 8 things you didn’t know about ET.

E.T. The Extra Terrestrial is one of the most cherished films of all time. The touching story of three children who stumble across a kind and gentle alien, and help him find his way home, has been making audiences - both young and old - cry happy tears for over 40 years now. 

The film, directed by Steven Spielberg, broke all sorts of records, and was both a critical and commercial success. But just like any major production, there were parts that ended up being cut, and nuggets of inspiration the audience weren’t privy to during it’s (very, very long) theatrical release.

Here’s eight things you didn’t know about E.T.

Spielberg took inspiration from his own life.

Despite E.T. being a science fiction film, Spielberg drew inspiration from his own life for aspects of the film. His parents divorced in 1960, something that had a profound effect on him, which he’d use throughout his films. During his parents’ divorce, he created an imaginary friend who was an alien, whom he would eventually change into E.T.

But the friendly alien wasn’t the only thing he took from his real life. The scene when Elliott frees all the frogs from the science class to save them from dissection was something Spielberg did as a young kid, too. Once he realised he’d have to cut the frogs open, he was horrified, and let many of them go free.

Steven Spielberg with Drew Barrymore on set. Image: Getty.

Drew Barrymore got the part after auditioning for another movie.

Drew Barrymore was completely iconic as the adorable Gertie, little blonde pigtails and all. But the child star was intended for another film - auditioning instead for the role of Carole Anne Freeling in Poltergeist. That role instead went to Heather O’Rourke, who sadly died before the final Poltergeist film came out. Spielberg, who wrote Poltergeist and obviously directed E.T., cast her in the latter film instead.  

The film has the record for most weeks atop the box office.

E.T. was so beloved when it came out  - by audiences and critics alike - that it stayed atop the box office for a record-breaking 16 weeks. While Spielberg’s Jaws had made noise at the box office, nothing could beat the widespread appeal of E.T. This is still the record in the US, not even Titanic could beat it.

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E.T. broke another record by staying in theatres for so long.

As well as besting the box office, E.T. broke another record with its theatrical release. It first came out in cinemas on June 11, 1982, and played for a year. This topped some of the other great films of E.T.’s era - Star Wars ran for 44 weeks, and Back to the Future ran for 37.

E.T. was nominated for nine Oscars.

While family films rarely get much attention from the Academy Awards, E.T. was such a critical and commercial success that it was nominated for nine Oscars. At the 1983 Awards, it received nods for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Original Screenplay, Best Original Score, Best Cinematography, Best Film Editing, Best Sound Effects Editing, Best Sound, and Best Visual Effects. The film won four of the nine, including Best Original Score, Best Sound, Best Sound Effects Editing, and Best Visual Effects.

Spielberg with the E.T. puppet. Image: Getty.

The winner of Best Picture thought E.T. should have won.

Even though E.T. didn’t win Best Picture, the winner did give the film a shout out when he won the award. Best Picture went to the period epic Ghandi, directed by Richard Attenborough. “I was certain that not only would E.T. win, but that it should win,” he was quoted as saying, referring to his own films as ‘more mundane’.

E.T.'s alien species cameos in a “Star Wars” prequel.

A fun fact for the Star Wars fans - E.T. existed in the galaxy far, far away. As we know, he was trying to phone home, but if you ever wondered where he was calling, we found out in 1999 when Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace was released. Aliens identical to E.T. can be spotted in the background of a meeting of the Intergalactic Senate. Spielberg and Star Wars director George Lucas have been close friends for years, making this connection not all that surprising.

Spielberg, Barrymore, and Henry Thomas at the film's 20th anniversary. Image: Getty.

Harrison Ford was cut from the film.

E.T.’s 1999 cameo wasn’t the only Star Wars link. In fact, Harrison Ford was supposed to appear in the film. Spielberg worked closely with Ford, having directed the Indiana Jones films (which were also written by Lucas), so he was a welcome guest appearance in E.T., playing the role of Elliott’s school principal. However, the scene eventually got left on the cutting room floor. 

Feature Image: Getty.