Steven Spielberg’s 1982 film, E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial is regarded as a masterpiece that appealed to both children and adults. It propelled Spielberg to greater heights of fame and is renowned for its heartwarming plot and superb filmmaking. But here’s a fun fact: although acclaimed actor, Harrison Ford was chosen for a small cameo role, the scene did not make it into the movie.
The well-known movie explored the life of a 10-year-old boy named Elliott’s (played by Henry Thomas) friendship with an alien who was lost and trying to get home. At the time, the Indiana Jones actor was dating (and later married to) the E.T. screenwriter, Melissa Mathison.
Thus, Ford consequently consented to film a cameo for Mathison and his friend, Steven Spielberg.
For the unversed, Ford and Mathison were married in March 1983 and later divorced in 2004.
The Harrison Ford Scene From E.T. Was Cut For This Reason
Steven Spielberg and Henry Thomas, who played Elliot, earlier revealed more information about the Harrison Ford scene that was ultimately cut from E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial. Even though it was ultimately removed from the finished product, the director acknowledged that it was all worthwhile because Thomas got to meet his hero, Harrison.
Elliott, the young boy, befriended E.T. (Extraterrestrial life or alien life) before attempting to help him find his way back home. We can hear Harrison’s voice and see his body, even though we can never see the actor’s face in the scene.
This was because, with the exception of the final scene, the entire movie was filmed from the perspective of a child, never revealing the faces of any adults besides Elliot’s mother. The 76-year-old director told Entertainment Weekly:
“Elliot is in the principal’s office after the frog incident. We don’t ever see Harrison’s face. We just hear his voice, see his body.”
Spielberg further added:
“That was the scene that we cut out. But that’s where [Henry] got a chance to meet Harrison.”
Thomas, whose performance in E.T. earned him Young Artist Award, continued:
“When I met Steven, the first thing out of my mouth was I think, ‘I love Raiders Of The Lost Ark’, and my hero was Harrison Ford. I basically was just excited to meet Steven in hopes that I would meet Harrison.”
Thomas remembered before acknowledging that when you finally meet your hero, “you don’t end up saying anything.”
“That was a very big day for me.”
We last saw Ford in the James Mangold-directed action-adventure movie, Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny.
The Success and Plagiarism Controversy of E.T.
E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial became the highest-grossing movie of all time, surpassing Star Wars, and held that title for eleven years until Steven Spielberg‘s own Jurassic Park overtook it in 1993. Critics praised E.T. highly, and it is now regarded as one of the best movies ever made.
It was nominated for nine Academy Awards, winning Best Original Score, Best Visual Effects, Best Sound, and Best Sound Editing. It also took home five Saturn Awards and two Golden Globes.
There have been claims that E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial was plagiarized from the 1967 script of the unproduced film, The Alien by Indian director, Satyajit Ray, who said:
“E.T. would not have been possible without my script of The Alien being available throughout the United States in mimeographed copies.”
This was later denied in a statement by Spielberg.
“I was a kid in high school when his script was circulating in Hollywood.”
In July 1982, during the initial theatrical run of the first movie, Spielberg and Melissa Mathison wrote the sequel, which they titled E.T. II: Nocturnal Fears. Henry Thomas, however, stated in 2022, that he hopes a full-length sequel never gets made but added:
“I guarantee you, there are a few men in a very big room now salivating and using their Abacus and slide rules to come up with some really, really big numbers.”
Thomas’ upcoming supernatural horror movie, Pet Sematary: Bloodlines, helmed by Lindsey Beer is scheduled for release by Paramount+ on October 6, 2023.
Meanwhile watch E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, which is available to rent on Apple TV.
Source- Entertainment Weekly
