Dee Wallace Says the “E.T.” Cast Was ‘Pleasantly Surprised’ by the Film’s Success (Exclusive)
Dee Wallace Says the “E.T.” Cast Was ‘Pleasantly Surprised’ by the Film’s Success (Exclusive)
Angela AndaloroMon, August 3, 2026 at 5:31 PM UTC
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Dee Wallace in “E.T.” (1982)Credit: Universal Pictures/courtesy Everett -
Dee Wallace was a horror-movie mainstay when audiences saw her in a different light as Mary Taylor in E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial
The 1982 sci-fi family film was an unexpected hit, surprising even the cast
Wallace tells PEOPLE why they weren’t expecting the success despite knowing the film had heart
Dee Wallace is still surprised at E.T.‘s place in her career’s journey.
Speaking with PEOPLE about some of her biggest roles, the actress, 77, opened up about the blockbuster success of E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial.
In the 1982 sci-fi film directed by Steven Spielberg, Wallace played Mary Taylor, the mother of a family who befriends a lost creature they learn is an alien, helping him find his way back home.
She tells PEOPLE that while the film had an element of “magic,” the cast and crew never expected it to be received the way it was. “On the set, it was like being on any other set. You arrived at 7 a.m. and you sat in your dressing room a lot and waited a lot, like you do on every set. You went home at 7 p.m. It was like shooting pretty much every other movie,” she shares.
Drew Barrymore and Dee Wallace in “E.T.” (1982)Credit: Universal/Kobal/Shutterstock
“Then, when it came out, it was a huge blockbuster! We were all pleasantly surprised,” she continues, noting, “We knew when we were shooting it, that we were making some kind of magic. We did know that, but to make a hit like E.T., it’s so much about timing.”
Wallace feels grateful that “the masses out there were ready for it.” She says, “I mean, Steven’s blockbuster that summer was supposed to be Poltergeist. It really took everybody kind of by surprise, I think, that E.T. was such a smash hit.”
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Robert MacNaughton, Henry Thomas, Dee Wallace, Steven Spielberg, Kathleen Kennedy, Drew Barrymore, and Peter Coyote celebrate the 2002 re-release of “E.T.”Credit: Universal/Getty
When it comes to knowing what films will be hits and which might miss the mark, Wallace says, “You can sort of be prepared, but when it comes down to it, it’s really the public that decides. With E.T., they did in a massive way. They decided that E.T. was their film, and they still are. I mean, it’s our Wizard of Oz.”
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The actress, who has done work across film and television in the years since, also feels grateful that being part of such an unforgettable production didn’t stifle her career in the way it could for some.
“I wasn’t put in a cubby hole. I was able to go back and forth from sitcoms, like Together We Stand and The New Lassie, to really, really heavy, dramatic parts. And I appreciated that a lot,” she shares.
Dee Wallace and Steven Spielberg in 2022Credit: Stefanie Keenan/Getty
“I joke a lot that I had to go to New Zealand and do The Frighteners to get me out of some of my mother roles because I did get pigeonholed there for a while after E.T., because being the mother in E.T. was such an iconic role. I did become everybody’s mother for a long time. And I’m proud of it,” she acknowledges.
Wallace adds, “But it was good to hop over into that killer role for a while, as funny as that sounds. Actors want to be able to do everything, and I’ve been really lucky in my career to be able to do that, and I like that.”
on People
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
