Henry Thomas Reflects on Childhood Stardom in Exclusive Interview
E.T. star Henry Thomas opens up about his childhood after appearing in the iconic 1982 film.
“I don’t think I handled it well because I wasn’t prepared for it,” Thomas, 54, shared during the Tuesday, March 24 episode of the “It Happened in Hollywood” podcast when asked about coping with the “immense amount of fame” he experienced at such a young age.
“It’s strange because I never anticipated it. I was genuinely surprised when people recognized me for the first time,” he continued. “I had never considered it. I never thought about being famous.”
Thomas added, “It felt surreal. I felt a sort of obligation to move forward and achieve something greater. Like, ‘You’ve got to follow this up.’”
Thomas — who played Elliot, the alien’s best friend in the movie — explained that “no one” in Los Angeles was willing to sign him because he was living in Texas and his parents were hesitant to move.
“Everyone said, ‘It’s great that you’re working, but we won’t represent you unless you’re serious about this and come out to LA,’” he recalled. “Then, of course, E.T. topped the box office for two weeks, and suddenly, my phone started ringing. All those who said, ‘You have to move to L.A.,’ were now like, ‘We’ll represent you, and you can live wherever you want.’”
He continued, “It was all a bit surreal. It felt somewhat insincere to me, and I never enjoyed that feeling. I think part of it was about proving to myself that I could make it, and part of it was just being on that journey and saying, ‘We’re leaving the station. What’s next?’”
Thomas also reflected on doing “some great films and some mediocre ones,” noting that “people forgot” about him.
The beloved 1982 film E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial could have taken a very different direction — at least, that’s what the film’s star Dee Wallace is revealing. “[Initially, there was] a whole B-story in E.T. about E.T. having a love affair with Mary — a love ‘crush’ on Mary,” Wallace told Steve Kmetko on Monday, […]
“I had to remind them that I was still here, and that I wasn’t 10 years old anymore. I persisted, really,” he explained. “I kept pushing through, and it generally worked out. Sometimes I regret that choice, but most of the time, I’m quite happy being an actor.”
Thomas mentioned that he didn’t move to Los Angeles “for a long time,” remaining in Texas until his mid-20s before relocating to New York for a year.
“I didn’t have luck there, so I went to LA. Then I ended up staying in LA for around 20 years,” he said, noting that he now resides in Oregon. “I said I’d stay for five years, and then 20 years later I thought, ‘Okay, now it’s time to leave.’”
