22 Facts You May Not Know About 'E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial'11 of 22
Crying His Heart Out
In what has become Hollywood lore, Henry Thomas endured quite a whirlwind to secure finally the part of Elliot. Just 10 years old at the time, Thomas appeared at his initial audition brandishing a bullwhip, since he was a big fan of Raiders of the Lost Ark. Although he failed to impress in some of his early readings for the role, he wowed the director during an improvised scene where he was asked to pretend to hide an alien friend from a government agent. Thinking about the day that his dog died, Thomas produced real tears during this portion of the audition and moved Steven Spielberg to tears. The director is heard exclaiming on the now famous audition tape, "OK, kid. You got the job!"
In what has become Hollywood lore, Henry Thomas endured quite a whirlwind to secure finally the part of Elliot. Just 10 years old at the time, Thomas appeared at his initial audition brandishing a bullwhip, since he was a big fan of Raiders of the Lost Ark. Although he failed to impress in some of his early readings for the role, he wowed the director during an improvised scene where he was asked to pretend to hide an alien friend from a government agent. Thinking about the day that his dog died, Thomas produced real tears during this portion of the audition and moved Steven Spielberg to tears. The director is heard exclaiming on the now famous audition tape, "OK, kid. You got the job!"
PeopleSteven Spielberg, Henry Thomas
Photo by Universal Pictures - © 1982