Improvised audition

For the role of Elliott, the boy who finds E.T., Steven Spielberg's friend Jack Fisk suggested Henry Thomas, who had appeared in his 1981 movie 'Raggedy Man'.

However, in an effort to draw out as much emotion as possible from the nine-year-old boy, Spielberg opted not to give the young actor a script during the audition, and told him to improvise the scene where a government agent takes his alien pal away from him.

During the audition, Thomas bawled his eyes out, begging the agent not to take his friend.

The director was so impressed, that he went up to the actor and told him, "Ok kid, you got the job".