Yahoo Finance E.T. Reunion! Drew Barrymore, Steven Spielberg and Henry Thomas to Attend TCM Fest Screening
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Drew Barrymore and Henry Thomas are reuniting 40 years after playing siblings in 1982's E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial.
On Wednesday, the Turner Classic Movies Film Festival announced that the two original stars will be joining director Steven Spielberg, Kathleen Kennedy and Frank Marshall for a special anniversary celebration of the movie. The event will serve as the official opening night screening of the 2022 TCM Classic Film Festival, which will be held April 21 through April 24.
Thomas — now 50 and known for recent Netflix hits like The Haunting of Hill House and Midnight Mass — played Elliott in E.T., a boy who becomes friends with an alien who crash-lands on Earth. Barrymore, 47, played his little sister, her first major big-screen role.
She told PEOPLE last month how she plans to mark the movie's anniversary with her daughters Frankie and Olive.
"I've actually been speaking with Steven Spielberg about it," she shared. "He calls my girls who he held when they were babies, and he's known them throughout their lives. I do want to revel in this moment with them and include them and celebrate with Steven. He's a big father figure to me."
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We're excited to announce that Drew Barrymore and Henry Thomas will be joining Steven Spielberg, Kathleen Kennedy, and Frank Marshall for the 40th anniversary celebration of E.T. THE EXTRA-TERRESTRIAL ('82) at #TCMFF!
Get ALL the latest updates here: https://t.co/V27b4SSD28 pic.twitter.com/JLhKidXL00— TCM (@tcm) March 23, 2022
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The anniversary is especially meaningful for the daytime talk-show host because her daughters are around the same age as she was when the film first came out. Spielberg pointed out the coincidence to the actress, who admits she still has trouble believing how synchronistic this all is.
"He's like, 'We're not missing this moment with your kids,' " she said. "I'm like, 'Okay. You're right. We can't. You're right.' This is very emotional and full-circle. My kids are very close to the age that I was when E.T. came out. Frankie actually is at the age. She is 7, and she will just be turning 8, and Olive is 9. She'll be turning 10. This is where I'm at, and they love Steven."
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She added, "They love him and they love his movies, and they love that he's so important to me, and really was there to give me energy and protection and opportunity, and care the way your family is supposed to. And when that was missing, he really stepped in. Now that I'm a mom and my girls are those ages. It's so full-circle and so meaningful."
"When he said we need to celebrate the 40th anniversary with the girls, I cried my eyes out and it's such a life moment and I'm so proud of where we're all at. It just feels like such a blessing that everyone is happy and whole and healthy right now," said Barrymore. "This is so cool. This is life. What? How?"