Drew Barrymore was the breakout star of E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial — and she left a particularly significant impression on the film’s director.
Steven Spielberg , who produced and directed a then-seven-year-old Barrymore in the 1982 film, revealed during an appearance at New York City’s TCM Film Festival on Saturday, January 25, that the actress, 49, inspired fresh ambition in him at the time. “Up until that point ..
. I was just making movies,” Spielberg, 78, said during a panel at the festival moderated by Dave Karger , per People . “That was my life.
I was obsessed with telling stories, but making E.T. made me want to be a father for the first time.
I never even thought about that until E.T. ” Barrymore, who appeared alongside the iconic filmmaker, said in response, “I didn’t ruin that for you?” to which Spielberg sweetly replied, “The opposite.
” Starring as Gertie, the kind hearted younger sister of Elliot, played by Henry Thomas , and Michael, played by Robert MacNaughton , in E.T. , Barrymore was also profoundly impacted by the filming experience at the time.
“I think E.T. , for me, is the [film] I’m the most proud of,” Barrymore said, “because it’s the one that changed my life.
” She continued, “There’s no question about that. Everything in my life is about how I got believed in by one human being, and that is the life that I try to honor every day.” The duo’s trip down memory lane also saw Spielberg, who is a father to seven c.
