E.T. Star's Raw Audition: From Bombed Lines to Blockbuster

On March 24, Henry Thomas, the 54-year-old actor who played Elliott in the 1982 hit ET.

The extra terrestrial recently opened up about his famous audition tape that's blown up online.

In a new podcast interview, he shared that the viral clip only captures the second half,

where he poured real emotion into an improv scene about.

Losing a friend to a government agency, leading director Steven Spielberg to cast him on the spot.

Thomas admitted he felt crushed at the start, convinced he'd bombed his lines right from the

first word, and you can even see the defeat on his face. In the full video, casting folks noticed

it wasn't clicking, so they switched to improv, which turned everything around and surprised

everyone, including him. Since that breakout role alongside Drew Barrymore and others,

Thomas stepped back to live a normal kid's life before returning with parts and films.

Like gangs of New York and dear John, plus TV hits like The Haunting of Hill House,

proving that raw moment launched a lasting career. Stay in the know-with-entertainment in

celebrity news today. AI-powered updates. I'm Corey with The Story.