'E.T. 'star Dee Wallace wanted to tone down sexiness in bedroom scene with her and the titular alien
The actress best known for playing the divorced mom of three in Steven Spielberg's science-fiction classic E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial spoke to the golden-toned Steve Kmetko on his Still Here Hollywood podcast, and shared a candy-coated morsel from the set of what still ranks as one of the top 10 grossing movies of all time (when adjusted for inflation.)
Wallace has fond memories of the shoot, but revealed the one time she and the now Oscar-winning director parted company creatively.
"[Originally, there was] a whole B-story in E.T. about E.T. having a love affair with Mary — a love 'crush' on Mary," she recalled. "There's little bits of it left in there. There was a scene where he came in to put Reese's Pieces down on my bedside table as I'm asleep. Well, Mr. Spielberg wanted the sheet a little lower than I was comfortable with."
She continued, "I argued my point that this was a family film. I could understand the parents smoking pot in Poltergeist," she added, referencing the film that Spielberg had made at around the same time as a very active producer. "But this film was very pure to me. And it was about love. And so we ended up calling in [producer] Kathleen Kennedy and [writer] Melissa [Mathison], our beautiful, amazing writer, and they said, 'We kind of agree with her, Steven.'
"So we compromised," Wallace concluded, "and pulled the sheet up almost to my shoulder blades, which I was okay with."
"That's pretty high," Kmetko offered, but Wallace retorted, "Not to a girl from Kansas!"
Earlier in Wallace's career, she did have a somewhat racy scene opposite Dudley Moore in Blake Edwards' comedy 10, which is probably okay for you to watch at work.
Wallace also shared another moment from E.T. where her instincts were met not with pushback from Spielberg, but with action.
In the scene where she learns that her ex-husband is away in Mexico with his new girlfriend, she decided to get up from the dining room table, so that her children wouldn't see her tears. The only problem was that it wasn't in the script.
"Steven came over to me and said, 'Dee, why did you get up and leave? It's not in the script.' And I explained to him what happened. And he looked at me, and turned around at the crew and said, 'You've got a half an hour, build me a wall here with a sink with running water. Thirty minutes.' So, of course, boom, boom, boom, it happened. [Now] he could take me over to the sink and bring me back into that big close-up where I say, 'He hates Mexico.'"
Check out more from Dee Wallace's appearance on Still Here Hollywood below.
Read the original article on Entertainment Weekly
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
2 minutes ago
- Yahoo
True Detective: Nicolas Cage Eyes Lead Role in Season 5
True Detective is looking to book another Oscar winner. Nicolas Cage is in talks to star in the upcoming Season 5 of HBO's crime anthology, Deadline reports. Season 5 will reportedly be set in the Jamaica Bay area of New York, with Cage potentially playing the lead role of New York detective Henry Logan. More from TVLine NCIS Casts Nancy Travis as [Spoiler]'s Sister in Season 23 (Exclusive) Casting News: Dafne Keen Joins Percy Jackson Season 3, The Comeback Adds 4 and More Casting News: Dominic West and Sienna Miller's HBO Thriller, Mike Epps' CBS Sitcom and More Issa López, who wrote and directed Season 4, aka True Detective: Night Country, returns as showrunner in Season 5, which is expected to start shooting next year for a planned 2027 premiere. True Detective debuted on HBO in 2014, with each season telling a new story with a new cast. Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson starred in Season 1, with Colin Farrell and Rachel McAdams taking over in Season 2 and Mahershala Ali and Stephen Dorff in Season 3. Jodie Foster headlined Season 4's Night Country, winning an Emmy for best lead actress in a limited series. (Nic Pizzolatto created the series and oversaw the first three seasons, but stepped back in Season 4, with López taking over.) Cage is best known for his film work, including roles in acclaimed films like Moonstruck and Leaving Las Vegas (which won him an Oscar for Best Actor) and action blockbusters like Con Air and National Treasure. He's never been a series regular on a TV series before, but he is slated to reprise his Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse role in the live-action series Spider-Noir, due to premiere next year on MGM+. Are you liking the idea of Cage on ? And who would you dream-cast as his partner? Tell us in the comments! Best of TVLine Stars Who Almost Played Other TV Roles — on Grey's Anatomy, NCIS, Lost, Gilmore Girls, Friends and Other Shows TV Stars Almost Cast in Other Roles Fall TV Preview: Who's In? Who's Out? Your Guide to Every Casting Move! Play Farm Merge Valley
Gizmodo
3 minutes ago
- Gizmodo
Netflix's ‘Splinter Cell: Deathwatch' Brings Sam Fisher Out of Retirement
Fans of stealth video games likely have a soft spot in their hearts for Splinter Cell. Ubisoft's sub-series of stealth-action games endorsed by Tom Clancy has been MIA for over a decade, even with a remake of the original game on the horizon. After doing guest roles in other Clancy games and in Netflix's Far Cry anime, series lead Sam Fisher is back in all his shadowy glory in Splinter Cell: Deathwatch. Developed by John Wick alum Derek Kolstad, the animated series sees Fisher—voiced by Liev Schreiber rather than longtime game actor Michael Ironside—as a field commander for the covert Fourth Echelon unit. Like in the games, Sam is assigned to stop a threat to global security: in this case, the mission is 'personal.' Splinter Cell: Deathwatch deploys on Netflix October 14. Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what's next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.
CBS News
5 minutes ago
- CBS News
Troops trade boots for cleats at AT&T Stadium
They're used to serving our country—this week, they served up grit and greatness on one of football's biggest stages. Military members from across Texas and Oklahoma swapped their uniforms for athletic wear and stepped onto the same field where legends play: AT&T Stadium, home of the Dallas Cowboys. Instead of drills and formations, this boot camp came with 40-yard dashes, vertical jumps and quick-reaction tests—mirroring the NFL combine. "You see jaws drop when they first step out into the stadium," said Mark Cook, military affairs representative for USAA. Troops from NAS JRB Fort Worth, Fort Hood and Fort Sill formed teams and competed head-to-head, all in the name of camaraderie—and a shot at Cowboys game tickets. For many, this wasn't just a day off duty—it was a dream come true. "It was amazing," said Sadie Clark, a service member. "It's my first time ever being to a field in person. I always see it on TV... but to actually be down here and see what it's like for the Cowboys to look up and see all the fans—it was just awesome." The event, hosted by USAA and the Dallas Cowboys, is part of a larger effort to celebrate the military community—not just with words, but with experiences that remind them just how valued they are. "I think the biggest thing is the teamwork," one participant shared. "It's a big morale booster to step away from daily duties and have fun together." After the competition wrapped, service members were treated to a private VIP tour of the Medal of Honor Museum and a behind-the-scenes look at Cowboys practice—capping off a day designed to honor their service in a way they'll never forget. "It's an amazing boost for our morale... to do something crazy like this," said Clark with a grin.
