22 Facts You May Not Know About 'E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial'10 of 22
Drew the Punk Rock Drummer
Drew Barrymore, 6 at the time, was the first of the three kids to be cast. The actress confessed that she lied about being in a rock 'n' roll band in her interviews with Steven Spielberg during his casting sessions for Poltergeist. She claimed she was the drummer and the punk rock band was called the Purple People Eaters. Although she didn't land a role in that movie, she and her sizable imagination made a big enough of an impression with the director for him to call her back for the role of Gertie in E.T.. Juliette Lewis also auditioned for the role.
Drew Barrymore, 6 at the time, was the first of the three kids to be cast. The actress confessed that she lied about being in a rock 'n' roll band in her interviews with Steven Spielberg during his casting sessions for Poltergeist. She claimed she was the drummer and the punk rock band was called the Purple People Eaters. Although she didn't land a role in that movie, she and her sizable imagination made a big enough of an impression with the director for him to call her back for the role of Gertie in E.T.. Juliette Lewis also auditioned for the role.
PeopleDrew Barrymore, Steven Spielberg
Photo by Universal Pictures - © 1982