22 Facts You May Not Know About 'E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial'17 of 22
Lonely Desert
Steven Spielberg first came up with the idea for the movie while filming Raiders of the Lost Ark in Tunisia. He explained to People magazine, "I was kind of lonely at the time. My girlfriend [Kathleen Carey at the time] was back in Los Angeles. I remember saying to myself, 'What I really need is a friend I can talk to -- somebody who can give me all the answers.'" It was not long after that he and Melissa Mathison, Harrison Ford's then girlfriend, began working on the script. She completed her first draft in eight weeks.
Steven Spielberg first came up with the idea for the movie while filming Raiders of the Lost Ark in Tunisia. He explained to People magazine, "I was kind of lonely at the time. My girlfriend [Kathleen Carey at the time] was back in Los Angeles. I remember saying to myself, 'What I really need is a friend I can talk to -- somebody who can give me all the answers.'" It was not long after that he and Melissa Mathison, Harrison Ford's then girlfriend, began working on the script. She completed her first draft in eight weeks.