Drew Barrymore made an indelible impact on movie audiences when she debuted opposite an animatronic alien in the 1982 blockbuster “E.T.” Now set to celebrate its 40th anniversary, Drew got the surprise of her life when her on-screen mom dropped by her talk show.
The reaction on Drew’s face when she was reading the teleprompter and introducing Dee Wallace was already everything, but the sheer joy both women shared in being together again was beautiful to watch.
Drew couldn’t stop beaming as Dee talked about what it was like for her working with this precocious and adorable 7-year-old on the set of a major motion picture directed by Steven Spielberg. She also proved that sometimes a 7-year-old’s memory may not be the most accurate.
As much fun as it was just seeing the women reconnect and reminisce, we think we loved it even more when Drew would try to share a story from what she remembered making the iconic film, and Dee would be right there with a quick correction.
Then, just like the rest of us, Drew was enraptured as Dee recalled the story the way she remembered it — including one incredibly sweet detail that Spielberg did to help Drew stay in the moment and in character.
It’s already known that the film was shot in chronological order — a rarity in Hollywood productions — so that they could get the most authentic emotional reactions from their young stars. But Spielberg took it a step forward in the most compassionate way.
After sharing the infamous story about Spielberg jumping onto one of the E.T. props to save it when it caught fire, Drew was talking about her experiences with them, playing it cool and telling her audience, “I saw the wires, I knew the deal.”
Well, right there, Dee shut her down. “Do not believe that for a moment!” she turned and told the audience.
“They would put E.T. in a corner when he wasn’t working, and we found Drew and she’s over there just talking to him,” Dee said. “And from that time on, Steven had two guys on E.T. at all times so that any time you went over to talk to him his eyes could work and his head could go up and down and he could respond to you.”
Talk about going the extra mile to ensure that your young, impressionable star would still believe in the magic of the character. In fact, Drew apparently bought into E.T. being as much a living and breathing character as she and Dee, based on another story Dee shared.
Again, Drew was recalling the dramatic E.T. death scene when she said that it was Steven who got her to cry so that she could show the proper emotion for the moment. Dee, though, remembered it a different way.
“Being the mother than I am with all the kids that I work with, you were on an adjoining sound stage and I went over and I said, ‘Okay, Drew, now we’re gonna go shoot the scene where E.T.’s dying. But you know he’s not really dying, sweetheart. He’s acting, just like we are, okay?’” Dee shared.
“And you looked at me and said, “I know, Dee, do you think I’m stupid?’” she continued, as Drew was dying laughing, clearing not remembering this. “So I picked you up, we walked into the set, you took one look at E.T. and [started crying], ‘Ah, he’s dying, Dee, he’s dying!'”
The whole exchange between the two women was so sweet and genuine. There is so much love and admiration between them for what they’ve accomplished in their careers, and how loving Dee was to a young Drew on that busy film set.
If you’re in need (or want) of a smile, and maybe a cry today, check out the full interview above.
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