Drew Barrymore would talk to ET puppet and thought it was real, on-screen mother says

‘I would go have lunch with ET a lot,’ Barrymore said

Drew Barrymore believed the puppet that played ET in Steven Spielberg’s film was real, her on-screen mother has claimed.

Barrymore was just six years old when she played Elliott’s little sister in the sci-fi adventure.

Presenting The Drew Barrymore Show on Monday (18 April), the former child star was joined by actor Dee Wallace, who played her mum in the 1982 film.

Discussing the filming process, Wallace said that she’d discovered that Barrymore thought the puppet was real after she saw Drew talking to it.

“From what I remember, ET was kept alive on set at all times,” Barrymore said. “I would go have lunch with ET a lot.”

While Barrymore said that she “saw the wires” and knew the puppet wasn’t real, Wallace interjected: “Do not believe that for a moment.”

“They would put ET in a corner when he wasn’t working and we found Drew and she’s over there, just talking to him,” Wallace said.

Barrymore and Wallace in ‘ET' (Universal/Kobal/Shutterstock)

“From that time on, Steven [Spielberg] had two guys on ET at all times, so that any time you went over to talk to him, his eyes could work and his head could go up and down and he could respond to you.”

ET celebrates its 40th anniversary later this year.