Random Behind-The-Scenes Stories From 'E.T. Extra-Terrestrial' (15 items)

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  (#12) Steven Spielberg Filmed The Movie Chronologically In Order To Get Authentic Reactions From The Child Actors

  For the sake of time and money, most movies are filmed out of order. This was not the case with E.T.

  Spielberg filmed E.T. in chronological order so that the child actors could get to know one another organically, and have authentic emotions - especially in regards to the goodbye scene at the end of the film (which was, of course, filmed last). 
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  (#10) Initially, Spielberg Himself Was The Voice of E.T.

  Spielberg acted out most of E.T.'s dialogue by positioning himself beside the camera for the child actors to see (and better connect them with the character). In post, a raspy-voiced smoker by the name of Pat Welsh was hired (whose voice was mixed with the voices of 18 other people and various animal noises) to complete E.T.’s dialogue.

  Welsh was reportedly only paid $380 for her role. She also went on to be hired by George Lucas to be the voice of Boushh in Star Wars: Return of the Jedi.  
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  (#6) Spielberg Dressed Up And Trick-Or-Treated With The Kids While Filming The Halloween Scenes

  E.T. 's famous Halloween scene - in which Elliott and his brother dress their alien pal up as their little sister - was filmed in October 1981. Spielberg joined in on the Halloween antics by dressing up as an old woman for the entire day.

  When they wrapped filming for the day, Spielberg even bobbed for apples and went trick-or-treating with the cast.  
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  (#7) The Full Moon Shot Was Filmed Practically With Puppets

  The famous image of Elliott and E.T. flying across the full moon was created using practical effects and puppets that were superimposed on the moon in post-production. According to the Industrial Light & Magic archive:

  ILM created the now iconic image of E.T. and [Elliott] flying over the face of a full moon using the studio’s Go-Motion technology combined with exquisitely crafted miniatures and puppet characters shot on a blue screen and then seamlessly inserted into live action plates.
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  (#2) Reese's Pieces Weren't The First Choice Of Candy

  Elliott and E.T.’s intergalactic friendship begins thanks to Reese’s Pieces, with the former leaving the latter a trail of candies in the woods. Hershey (which made the candy) went on to see its profits go up nearly 300% thanks to the use of the product, but it might surprise you to know that Reese’s Pieces weren't the first choice of candy. 

  According to William Kotzwinkle (who wrote his novelization based on the screenplay), the original script specified the use of M&M's. However, the Mars Company refused to go along with the deal, believing it was doing just fine, and didn’t want to peddle its product in Spielberg's film.

  Mars’s loss proved to be Hershey’s gain: The film made Reese's Pieces a regular commodity at movie theaters around the world. 
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  (#9) Sets Were Built On Platforms So E.T. Could Move Around With Puppeteers Under Him

  For a handful of scenes, like the ones in Elliott’s room or his family’s living room, the filmmakers used an animatronic puppet to depict E.T. Spielberg had those sets built on a platform (with the robotic puppet bolted down) so that the puppeteers could coordinate the character's movements by looking at small TV monitors located in another room.

  The bulk of E.T.'s hand and arm movements were performed by a professional mime, Caprice Rothe, underneath the various platforms by stretching her arms up into four-fingered gloves. A miniature puppet was even used for at least one wide shot.  

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