Steven Spielberg reveals how E.T. profoundly impacted his personal life. Although he is currently known as one of the most successful directors in the industry, Spielberg began his career in 1969 by directing Joan Crawford in the television anthology series Night Gallery. Since then, he has continued to direct and produce films that are both commercial and critical successes, including Jaws, Schindler's List, Jurassic Park, and his recent award-winning adaptation of West Side Story.
Among Spielberg's most beloved films is the 1982 science-fiction blockbuster E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial. The movie starring Dee Wallace, Henry Thomas, Peter Coyote, Robert MacNaughton, and Drew Barrymore became the highest-grossing film ever made at the time of its release and received high critical acclaim. Although E.T.'s box office has been beaten many times in the forty years since its release, the film continues to hold influence over the industry. To celebrate E.T.'s 40th anniversary, a new IMAX rendering of the film was presented at the TCM Classic Film Festival, which the legendary director Spielberg attended.
To introduce that screening, Spielberg briefly discussed his incredible career with TCM host Ben Mankiewicz, and Variety reports that during the interview, the director reveals a surprising influence E.T. had on his life. Making the 1982 science fiction film convinced Spielberg that he could be a father, because of the care he felt toward the film's child stars, especially Drew Barrymore. He explains that, although he had previously believed that his film career would get in the way of raising a child, he realized that being a director is similar to being a parent, and began to want children. Read Spielberg's full explanation of the realization below:
I didn’t want to have kids because it was not a kind of equation that made sense for me as I went from movie to movie to movie, script to script… It never occurred to me till halfway through E.T.: I was a parent on that film. I was literally feeling like I was very protective of Henry (Thomas) and Mike (McNaughton) and my whole cast, and especially Drew (Barrymore), who was only 6 years old. And I started thinking, ‘Well, maybe this could be my real life someday.’ It was the first time that it occurred to me that maybe I could be a dad. And maybe in a way, a director is a dad, or a mom... I really felt that that would be my big production.
In 1983, E.T. became the first film to surpass the original Star Wars in ticket sales, but it was not just the film's commercial success that cemented it as a classic hit. Critics praised Spielberg's ability to recreate the magic of childhood not only through the film's use of child actors, but with his technical mastery. Perhaps, Spielberg's recent reveal about E.T.'s effect on his personal feelings offers a small glimpse into how he managed to create such an effective film. It obviously was a passion project that went beyond mere storytelling for the director.
The newly rendered IMAX version of E.T. is not the first time the film has received an update, and with the film's enduring legacy, it is unlikely to be the last. Spielberg's little alien has continued to inspire filmmakers, and E.T. even made a The Phantom Menace cameo. As Spielberg reflected on the influence E.T. has brought to his life, the director's latest success with West Side Story proves that he will continue to create inspiring films.
Source: Variety