'E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial' turns 40: what are the stars doing now?

This wonderful film by Steven Spielberg - a cinematic milestone in the 1980s - is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year since its premiere in 1982. An endearing and moving film that told the story of a little alien who lands on Earth and wants to return home, it continues to delight all audiences.

At the time of the filming of 'E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial', there were fewer technological advances in special effects and visuals than today. Even so, they managed to create a magical, dreamlike atmosphere that had never been seen before in a film.

When 'E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial' was released, Steven Spielberg was already a renowned director in Hollywood, but, in a way, this film served as a springboard for him to take over productions that have gone down in film history such as 'The Color Purple' (1985), 'Jurassic Park' (1993) and 'Schindler's List' (1993), along with many others.

The truth is that Steven Spielberg has not ceased to reap success throughout his more than 50-year career in the world of cinema. In fact, we will soon be able to enjoy his next work: 'The Fabelmans.' It is a semi-autobiographical film about the director's childhood in Arizona and is scheduled for release in November this year. In it, Spielberg is working as director, screenwriter and producer, with a cast headed by Seth Rogen and Michelle Williams.

As for the cast of 'E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial', some of the actors and actresses who were part of it have been forgotten over the years. But others have continued to work tirelessly in the film industry. What has become of them?

Henry Thomas played Elliott, the main character in 'E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial'. In the film, his character becomes the alien's best friend on Earth and does everything he can to save him from the humans and help him return to his planet. It was the second film of his career and he was only 11 years old when he worked on it. Since then, we have seen him in other productions such as 'Legends of the Fall' 1994, Gangs of New York' 2002 and 'Dear John' from 2010.

The truth is that since his appearance in 'E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial', his starring role in other films has had no comparison to the one he had in that childhood role. Even so, he is still active. His last film was 'Doctor Dream' (2019) and, currently, we can see him in the Disney+ series 'The Other Side of High School' (2021).

In October 2021, the actor posed with Dee Wallace, the actress who played his mother in 'E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial', during the 46th Saturn Awards in Los Angeles.

The big moment of actress Dee Wallace's career was playing the role of Mary, Elliott's mother, in 'E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial'. Her appearance in the legendary 1980s film coincided in time with other of her most outstanding works, such as 'The Howling' (1981), 'Cujo' (1983) and the television series 'Nothing is Easy' and 'The New Lassie'.

Throughout her career, Dee Wallace has appeared in nearly 130 films and more than 50 television series, and her most recent work includes appearances in such well-known series as 'Bones' (2006), 'Grey's Anatomy', 'Ghost Whisperer' and 'My Name is Earl' (2007), 'Criminal Minds' (2008), 'Grimm' (2014), 'Supernatural' (2016) and 'You're the Worst' (2017).

In 'E.T.. The Extra-Terrestrial', Peter Coyote played Keys, a US government agent, a role that caught him almost as a rookie, since it was the second of his career. After this, he has worked in some well-known productions such as 'Honeymoons' (1992), in which he played the lead role, 'Patch Adams' (1998) or 'Erin Brockovich' (2000) alongside Julia Roberts.

Peter Coyote has not stopped since he acted under the orders of Steven Spielberg in 'E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial'. In addition to his performances in almost fifty films and series, he has also worked as a voice actor and narrator. He is currently shooting the film 'Butterfly Love', alongside Katrina Bowden and Kierston Wareing, under the direction of Elizabeth Blake-Thomas.

Robert MacNaughton (on the right in the picture) was Elliot's brother Michael in 'E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial'. It was the breakthrough role of his career and he won the 'Young Artist Award' for Best Supporting Actor in 1983.

Robert MacNaughton has only worked in a few films and his career never really took off. In fact, he has been away from acting for more than twenty years and has been working for the US Postal Service since the late 1990s.

C. Thomas Howell (pictured on the left) played Tyler, one of Michael's friends in 'E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial'. It was his first film and he appears in the credits as Tom Howell. He had a minor role, but his participation in the film helped him to start an acting career that continues to this day.

C. Thomas Howell has appeared in over 40 films and numerous episodes of television series. Among his work we can't forget him in the role of Ponyboy Curtis in Francis Ford Coppola's 'The Outsiders' (1983) and his most recent appearances have been in 'Animal Kingdom' (2016 to 2018), 'MacGyver' (2018) (pictured) and 'The Walking Dead' (until 2021).

Drew Barrymore was seven years old when she shone in the role of the adorable Gertie, Elliott's little sister in 'E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial'. After that, she became one of Hollywood's most popular child actresses and, over the years, has had the most prominent career in the film world of all the film's cast.

Drew Barrymore's childhood was somewhat turbulent. Her early years as an actress were scarred by drugs and alcohol, addictions that she began to suffer when she was just 13 years old, forcing her to go to rehab centres.

The actress returned to Hollywood stardom in the mid-1990s when she created Flower Films, whose first production was the 1999 film 'Never Been Kissed'.

After the success of 'Never Been Kissed', the production company continued to create films with the actress in the cast, including titles such as 'Charlie's Angels' (2000), 'Duplex' (2003) and the spectacular '50 First Dates' (2004).

Currently and since 2020, the actress has been directing her own television programme: 'The Drew Barrymore Show'. In it she has interviewed fellow film stars such as Reese Witherspoon, Keanu Reeves and Brooke Shields, among others. Her great success has led to more than 260 episodes of the show.