'I was a child star in ET and after the film my life was never normal again'

Daily Record

3 days ago

Henry Thomas, now 53, shot to fame at the age of 10 when he was cast as Elliot in Steven Spielberg's iconic 1982 film
For countless admirers of all ages, Henry Thomas will forever be remembered as the endearing boy cycling across the moonlit sky with an extraterrestrial friend in tow in the classic 1982 film E. T. At a mere 10 years old, little did Henry Thomas know that his role as Elliot in Steven Spielberg's masterpiece would catapult him into international stardom.
However, the fame brought about by this legendary role didn't just propel him towards a career in showbiz; it overshadowed much of his life, making normalcy a thing of the past. Born in San Antonio, Texas in 1971, Henry entered the scene of E. T. with minimal acting credits, just one feature film under his belt, which was unlike his co-star Drew Barrymore who had already built a foundation in Hollywood.
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But it was Henry's remarkable audition that secured his casting, reports the Mirror US. That fateful audition tape, now released to the public, captures a moment when the casting director told the young Henry: "They've come with a search warrant and they want to take the creature away."
Instantly, Henry tapped into a deep well of emotion, tears streaming down his face as he implored, "You can't take him away, he's mine, I don't care what the president says, he's my best friend and you can't take him away." His moving display not only stirred emotions among those present but also led to the pivotal instance when Steven Spielberg's unmistakable voice was heard stating, "OK kid, you got the job."
The movie swiftly escalated to blockbuster status, becoming one of the highest grossing films of the decade, smashing box office records and garnering nine Oscar nominations along the way. Yet, for Henry, the actor who brought Elliot to life, fame was an uncharted terrain that transformed him indelibly.
At a tender age when the grasp on celebrity was tenuous at best, he accepted the role without foreknowledge of its repercussions. Speaking with The Guardian, Henry disclosed: "It was a total unexpected side-effect of doing this fun thing I had wanted to do."
He continued to express his naivete at the profound shift in his personal life, saying, "I had no clue that my life would change in any way. I worked on this movie, then I'm back on the farm, I'm back at school – but now people are pointing at me in the street."
Hailing from an ordinary backdrop, neither Henry nor his family foresaw or were prepared for the ensuing chaos fame would bring. He elaborated: "My whole family wasn't really well equipped to deal with anything like that.
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"And other than a few precautions, we didn't change our lives that much." The sudden attention drew eccentric visitors and led to intrusive phone calls, prompting the need for sporadic police intervention, as Henry recounted: "Consequently, we got a lot of weird visitors to our residence and things like that, phone calls.
"We had to call the authorities a few times." While E. T. secured Henry's place in cinematic history, he has sustained a prominent presence in Hollywood, taking roles in major hits including Legends of the Fall, Gangs of New York, and Suicide Kings.
Lately, it's his more recent performances that have caught the public eye, introducing him to a new league of admirers unaware of his iconic part in E.T. The actor formed a professional relationship with director Mike Flanagan, renowned for his horror films including The Shining sequel Dr Sleep, Gerald's Game and Ouija: Origin of Evil - all of which have featured Thomas.