“E.T.”'s Henry Thomas recalls he did not handle being a child star well

Henry Thomaswasn't quite ready for the whirlwind of stardom that followed the release ofE.T. the Extra-Terrestrialin 1982.

"I wasn't ready for the fame. I had never even thought about being famous," Thomas said Tuesday onThe Hollywood Reporter'sIt Happened in Hollywoodpodcast.

E.T.changed a lot in a hurry. Within two weeks of the sci-fi blockbuster's release, Thomas said, his phone started ringing. Before that, agencies wouldn't call him back.

So how did he handle the shift?

"Not very well," Thomas said. "I wasn't ready for it and never saw it coming. The first time someone recognized me, it felt bizarre. And then there was this pressure to follow it up. I stayed in Texas for a long time, which in hindsight probably helped."

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The iconic film, directed bySteven Spielberg, depicted a 10-year-old Thomas as Elliott, who becomes friends with an alien who finds himself stranded on Earth but wants to return to his home planet.

The Oscar-winning film featured a cast that also included a youngDrew Barrymore, who later famously overcameher own personal struggles, playing Elliott's little sister Gertie. Robert MacNaughton was cast as his older brother Mike, while Dee Wallace took the role of their mom, Mary.

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Thomas, who's now 52, was asked about how he's maintained a steady career in the decade after stardom.

Over the years, he's appeared in movies such asLegends of the Fall(1994),Gangs of New York(2002), andDoctor Sleep(2019). On TV, he's been on 2018'sThe Haunting of Hill House,Better Things(2017), andThe Haunting of Bly Manor(2020).

Thomas said he doesn't really have a strategy.

"I just kept going. There were periods where things were great and periods where it felt like you couldn't get arrested," Thomas said. "You realize eventually it's all cyclical. You don't get a rule book. You just keep showing up."

Still, he and the otherE.T.actors have been known to reunite.

Thomas, MacNaughton, and Wallacestopped by Barrymore's talk showin 2022 to mark the film's 40th anniversary.

Listen to Thomas' full conversation on the podcast above.

Read the original article onEntertainment Weekly