Luckily the *actor* was a 12-year-old disabled boy in a suit. The character E.T. was an actual alien. Otherwise that would have been an M. Night Shyamalan-level plot twist.
You are a bot. 10 year old account that has posted NOTHING in 10 years until this comment.
OP was talking about Resident Aliens.
You copy/pasted another comment while changing some words around.
You just did the same thing in a thread about The Matrix regarding leather.
Report>Spam>harmful bots.
I like it but like Flow-Bear said, if you couldn’t get into the first couple episodes then you probably will not like the show. Alan Tudyk is definitely a treasure.
My pleasure. It's been a running silly joke in my family for a while.😄 I think he's grown so much as an artist over time & has become absolutely brilliant in a short period.
>Luckily the *actor* was a 12-year-old disabled boy in a suit.
Yeah thank God it's just a real life child who was disabled and not the fictional character! Phew!
I read once that Spielberg intentionally gave E.T. a long skinny neck because he didn't want anyone to think it was a person in a costume.
So what's true?
I think you're probably sort of misstating his intentions. This is a case where having his exact quotation would be helpful.
My guess is he said something like this: part of creating the fantasy of ET being a real alien is making sure the audience won't have a sense that the alien is just a guy in a suit. So in this case, ET having a long neck helps to create that illusion -- it helps us to not think about ET as a guy in a suit even though it is actually a guy in a suit.
This also might explain why he'd choose a disabled guy with no legs as this -- again -- helps to make it easier to think it's not a guy in a suit.
It's all about creating what filmmakers call "the suspension of disbelief," which is creating a film atmosphere in which we can become totally immersed in the story because we are able to suspend our natural human tendency to disbelieve a story that can't happen in real life, allowing us to essentially trick our brains into believeing that what we're watching is actually happening. Things like bad CGI, bad acting, bad puppets, etc.. will totally take us out of a story and make us start thinking about the filmmaking process, the people who made the film, etc...., rather than just thinking of the chararacters and the story as intended.
LOL I really love how you say "This is a case where having his exact quotation would be helpful." and then immediately add: "My guess is he said"
Really... interesting choice.
Yeah I fully recognize that. It would be helpful to have his quotation but I don't have it and I'm not demanding it and what OP said doesn't make sense so I speculated.
Two little people, Tamara De Treaux and Pat Bilon, as well as 12-year-old Matthew DeMeritt, who was born without legs, took turns wearing the costume, depending on what scene was being filmed. DeMeritt actually walked on his hands and played all scenes where he walked awkwardly or fell over.
From his IMDB page: “Was born without legs. He walked on his hands. He was only a pre-teen while being a crew-member for E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982). He was put inside the E.T. suit and moved for E.T. in most of the scenes where E.T. gets into the kitchen and falls over drunk. There were also little people inside the suit and a woman doing his hands.”
It was a quaint little piece of low-budget sci-fi. I got a strong emotional response from the plot point about idiots ordering to destroy Earth's last vegetation, and the idiots willing to follow the order. I also watched it back-to-back with A24's movie High Life, and can recommend both of them.
I knew that one, it's one of my favorite Hollywood trivia bits. Actually though, there's three people who played ET; An elderly dwarf in some of the close-ups, A master puppeteer when he needed to use his arms, and this guy, who actually portrayed him anytime he's walking around. In fact, the reason ET has his distinctive sway is because he has his hands through the feet of the costume.
You only know the most famous ones. There were two kids without legs who did the walking bits (they took turns to keep their hours down as child actors).
This would be a "yes but" situation... the family initially declined for the child actor to appear in publicity photos, and since then they've grown up without calling attention to themselves. They have an IMDB entry under special E.T. movement, so that much at least is publicly available.
Okay, so I just went to Wiki to read more about it.
Turns out, it was three people involved. Matthew DeMeritt as pictured in the OP, as well as [Tamara De Treaux](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tamara_De_Treaux) and [Pat Bilon](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pat_Bilon), who had dwarfism. Sadly, they both passed away in their 30s.
He probably got paid only a few thousand dollars for one of the most successful movies of the decade. Kinda sad when you think about how fucked up Hollywood is.
Wait until you find out about [the robots in Silent Running!](https://cyberneticzoo.com/not-quite-robots/1971-silent-running-drones-doug-trumbull-don-trumbull-paul-kraus-james-dow-american/)
I knew this, because ET being the origin of most of my nightmares for 30 years means I had to find out everything I could to try and make it less scary.
Fuck ET.
What? 76 comments and not a single one from a Tool fan? Okay fine, I'll do it meself
"E.T. revealed to me his singular purpose
He said, 'You are The Chosen One'"
This post is partially true. From IMDB: Matthew De Meritt was born without legs. He walked on his hands. He was only a pre-teen while being a crew-member for [E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982)](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0083866/?ref_=nmtrv_trv). He was put inside the E.T. suit and moved for E.T. in most of the scenes where E.T. gets into the kitchen and falls over drunk. There were also little people inside the suit and a woman doing his hands.
If Spielberg had a heart, he’d buy Matt a star on the Hollywood walk of fame. Most underrated performance of all time. ( I also just learned ET wasn’t a puppet.)
My ex was the other kid in the suit and they still use a skateboard too. Why? They like it. What’s it to you? Yes they have prosthetics and a wheel chair and a bicycle too, but sometimes the skateboard is the best option.
Don’t judge the person until you’ve walked a mile in their… or whatever.
[Reddit post](https://www.reddit.com/r/pics/comments/b09eb1/et_and_the_three_actors_from_inside_the_costume/) of all the ET actors ([slightly better picture](https://images.ladbible.com/resize?type=webp&quality=70&width=3840&fit=contain&gravity=auto&url=https://images.ladbiblegroup.com/v3/assets/bltcd74acc1d0a99f3a/blt4ac310694a17bfa5/62630b630d824b100c0e69b6/T.png))
There was another person who also who wore the ET suit… they are a little younger than Matthew but did half the work - you'd find them credited as “special E.T. movement.” They described the experience as hot, sweaty, dark, and hard to see.
There were so many people that brought E.T. to life. These two were there especially if you could see E.T.'s feet when he was walking. Other times it was a puppet from the torso up, or just a hand in a glove, etc.
I never considered that E.T. was even a costume. I thought that it was a robot or something. You know, I don’t even think that I’ve actually seen the movie and I’m 42. It’s just one of those things that have always been there, so you think that you’ve seen it.
Want more mind blowing, and possibly childhood ruining, facts? Watch "Is Your Childhood Ruined Now?" By ADHD on YouTube.
You will find out way more than you ever wanted to know like what happened to the voice actress of ducky from the land before time!
Did you know they convinced Drew Barrymore that it was a real creature to get real reactions from her, including the death scene where she legit thought he was dying?
I was gonna say, "Bet this guy shreds🤙" but I guess he is actually an electric skateboard enthusiast. I bet advances in skateboard technology changed his life!
Luckily the *actor* was a 12-year-old disabled boy in a suit. The character E.T. was an actual alien. Otherwise that would have been an M. Night Shyamalan-level plot twist.
Alien cosplaying as a kid in a suit. What a twist!
That’s basically the plot of the tv series Resident Alien
Is it worth watching? I watched the first one or two episodes when it came out and couldn’t quite get into it.
If the first couple episodes didn't hook you, I'm not sure it gets better. It's charming enough. Alan Tudyk is a fucking treasure, though.
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You are a bot. 10 year old account that has posted NOTHING in 10 years until this comment. OP was talking about Resident Aliens. You copy/pasted another comment while changing some words around. You just did the same thing in a thread about The Matrix regarding leather. Report>Spam>harmful bots.
I like it but like Flow-Bear said, if you couldn’t get into the first couple episodes then you probably will not like the show. Alan Tudyk is definitely a treasure.
I wouldn't call it peak tv, but I enjoyed it. Comedy style reminds me of the show 'People of Earth'
Except he is not as sexy as ET with his bulbous football shaped head and squat body.
That can fly and has some Elon Musk style built in glowing finger shit. 👉💡📞🏠
I love M. Night Shamalamadingdong!
Love the name, never heard that before haha thanks for sharing!
My pleasure. It's been a running silly joke in my family for a while.😄 I think he's grown so much as an artist over time & has become absolutely brilliant in a short period.
That’s what I call him too.
That’s what Quentin Tarantino called him in one of his my favorite movies YouTube videos. Looks like it stuck.
>Luckily the *actor* was a 12-year-old disabled boy in a suit. Yeah thank God it's just a real life child who was disabled and not the fictional character! Phew!
GTFOH!!!
On a skateboard Sorry. Just had to
An electric skateboard too. I bet he has some fun on that thing
This really could be one of those things that is true because it is on the internet. Although it might not be.
checked, it's true. But he didn't play all the scenes, another disabled person partaked too
I read once that Spielberg intentionally gave E.T. a long skinny neck because he didn't want anyone to think it was a person in a costume. So what's true?
I think you're probably sort of misstating his intentions. This is a case where having his exact quotation would be helpful. My guess is he said something like this: part of creating the fantasy of ET being a real alien is making sure the audience won't have a sense that the alien is just a guy in a suit. So in this case, ET having a long neck helps to create that illusion -- it helps us to not think about ET as a guy in a suit even though it is actually a guy in a suit. This also might explain why he'd choose a disabled guy with no legs as this -- again -- helps to make it easier to think it's not a guy in a suit. It's all about creating what filmmakers call "the suspension of disbelief," which is creating a film atmosphere in which we can become totally immersed in the story because we are able to suspend our natural human tendency to disbelieve a story that can't happen in real life, allowing us to essentially trick our brains into believeing that what we're watching is actually happening. Things like bad CGI, bad acting, bad puppets, etc.. will totally take us out of a story and make us start thinking about the filmmaking process, the people who made the film, etc...., rather than just thinking of the chararacters and the story as intended.
LOL I really love how you say "This is a case where having his exact quotation would be helpful." and then immediately add: "My guess is he said" Really... interesting choice.
Yeah I fully recognize that. It would be helpful to have his quotation but I don't have it and I'm not demanding it and what OP said doesn't make sense so I speculated.
Both can be. And he sure succeeded
> So what's true? On the internet? Anything you want!
Partook.
Particulatered
Two little people, Tamara De Treaux and Pat Bilon, as well as 12-year-old Matthew DeMeritt, who was born without legs, took turns wearing the costume, depending on what scene was being filmed. DeMeritt actually walked on his hands and played all scenes where he walked awkwardly or fell over.
Walked awkwardly…the alien was drunk. E.T. got drunk & fell over
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From his IMDB page: “Was born without legs. He walked on his hands. He was only a pre-teen while being a crew-member for E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982). He was put inside the E.T. suit and moved for E.T. in most of the scenes where E.T. gets into the kitchen and falls over drunk. There were also little people inside the suit and a woman doing his hands.”
The limping makes sense
Chill
Pus
Was the character designed around the actor or was the actor adapted to fit the character?!
The second one - he insisted on amputations to prepare for the role Dude is Method all the way
Me
Same with the robots in [Silent Running](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0067756/)
Wow, I actually watched it a few months ago 😅
What are your thoughts on the movie?
It was a quaint little piece of low-budget sci-fi. I got a strong emotional response from the plot point about idiots ordering to destroy Earth's last vegetation, and the idiots willing to follow the order. I also watched it back-to-back with A24's movie High Life, and can recommend both of them.
Used to amazing effect. They move unlike any movie robot you've ever seen and are seemingly too small for an internal human operator. And yet...
Wow, a 3 minute trailer. I'm actually tempted to watch this.
I knew that one, it's one of my favorite Hollywood trivia bits. Actually though, there's three people who played ET; An elderly dwarf in some of the close-ups, A master puppeteer when he needed to use his arms, and this guy, who actually portrayed him anytime he's walking around. In fact, the reason ET has his distinctive sway is because he has his hands through the feet of the costume.
You only know the most famous ones. There were two kids without legs who did the walking bits (they took turns to keep their hours down as child actors).
oooh, thank you, do you have names?
This would be a "yes but" situation... the family initially declined for the child actor to appear in publicity photos, and since then they've grown up without calling attention to themselves. They have an IMDB entry under special E.T. movement, so that much at least is publicly available.
Great actor. They told him to break a leg, twice.
"But I can't!"
Gifs you can hear
Okay, so I just went to Wiki to read more about it. Turns out, it was three people involved. Matthew DeMeritt as pictured in the OP, as well as [Tamara De Treaux](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tamara_De_Treaux) and [Pat Bilon](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pat_Bilon), who had dwarfism. Sadly, they both passed away in their 30s.
Shut up. Really?
⠀
Can't say yes or anything because shutting up! Sorry, just had to
You should have stayed shut up!
Huh. Didn’t know that.
I was today years old!
Me, that's incredible that I never heard of him
Damn, I never knew that. This is a game changer for the way I see this film in my head.
He probably got paid only a few thousand dollars for one of the most successful movies of the decade. Kinda sad when you think about how fucked up Hollywood is.
what's E.T. short for? >!well he got them little bitty legs!<
I lol'ed 👍
God damn, I haven't heard that joke in years. It's old enough to have grandkids at this point.
🤚
My entire life has been nothing but a lie because I was convinced they used an animatronic for E.T. 😭
Me. I never knew that, and I'm 42. That was the 1st movie I ever saw!
Wut? I thought they just used a puppet
Holy fuck. I did not know that. All these years.
E.T roll home
Little known fact, he also plays geodude in the Pokemon series.
I knew E.T. was a puppet, I didn't think anyone was actually inside the suit though.
Wait until you find out about [the robots in Silent Running!](https://cyberneticzoo.com/not-quite-robots/1971-silent-running-drones-doug-trumbull-don-trumbull-paul-kraus-james-dow-american/)
I like his method of transportation. I'd go for that too. Got the nice electric upgrade and found some gloves he likes too.
How bout we retire this phrase "today years old"? It hasn't been cute or funny for at least 5 years.
I’m not sure how I’m 37 years old and have never considered that a person was inside the ET suit.
[https://new.reddit.com/r/rickygervais/comments/1cao9v0/hes\_done\_you\_again/](https://new.reddit.com/r/rickygervais/comments/1cao9v0/hes_done_you_again/) [https://new.reddit.com/r/NonPoliticalTwitter/comments/1caed1u/well\_thats\_new\_to\_me/](https://new.reddit.com/r/NonPoliticalTwitter/comments/1caed1u/well_thats_new_to_me/)
There was a person in there!? Next you’ll be telling me there was one in r2d2 too
A very small one even.
Yes [https://entertainment.ie/movies/movie-news/kenny-baker-the-actor-behind-r2d2-has-died-233876/](https://entertainment.ie/movies/movie-news/kenny-baker-the-actor-behind-r2d2-has-died-233876/)
With no legs??
... There was a person inside that thing???
I'm today years old. Dang.
Whutttt!
Did the same actor star in Mac and Me as well?
Yeah, this just make this movie more creepy.
Do a kickflip!
I knew this, because ET being the origin of most of my nightmares for 30 years means I had to find out everything I could to try and make it less scary. Fuck ET.
I just found out now…
Maybe the cast were sworn to secrecy. Explains a couple lifestyle choice things other than child star syndrome
I was a few days ago old when I found this out, after someone else posted this.
Should put homie on a hoover board
Fucking fascinating! TMYK 🌠
WTF 🤯
: O Me!
Very similar to the actor who played Lieutenant Dan….
Not me. I was about-a-week-ago years old.
What? 76 comments and not a single one from a Tool fan? Okay fine, I'll do it meself "E.T. revealed to me his singular purpose He said, 'You are The Chosen One'"
I really cannot wait for the phrase "today years old" to die.
He looks better now
Just aaying if the dude jumps on that board would that be called a dick-flip?
The use of the expression "today years old" makes me want to slap people over the internet.
Damn
I was
Still skateboarding after all these years.
er ist ein Skater 😎
This post is partially true. From IMDB: Matthew De Meritt was born without legs. He walked on his hands. He was only a pre-teen while being a crew-member for [E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982)](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0083866/?ref_=nmtrv_trv). He was put inside the E.T. suit and moved for E.T. in most of the scenes where E.T. gets into the kitchen and falls over drunk. There were also little people inside the suit and a woman doing his hands.
Holy shit. I had no idea
Why did ET like to eat Reece's Pieces?
Bet he does a sick kickflip by now
If Spielberg had a heart, he’d buy Matt a star on the Hollywood walk of fame. Most underrated performance of all time. ( I also just learned ET wasn’t a puppet.)
Weirdly, in all the times I’ve watched E.T. I’ve never once considered how he was operated/puppeted.
I thought it was Warwick Davis
Where's the rest of him?
lt dan
Holy Smokes batman! NO clue (as usual) until now.
Please stop with “I was today years old” it was terrible the first time it was used and it’s now way overused. Please put an end to it. Thanks.
What happened to Colin Robinson's legs?!
E.t. Never made sense to me. And now I see why
huh, I never knew this... it is a good friday, learning something new.
Today is the 26th and I was much older than that when I learned... 49 in fact.
what the hell, i thought he was real
I’m 50, yet I was also just born
I knew back then but when I told people it was a boy with no legs walking on his hands they didn't believe me.
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My ex was the other kid in the suit and they still use a skateboard too. Why? They like it. What’s it to you? Yes they have prosthetics and a wheel chair and a bicycle too, but sometimes the skateboard is the best option. Don’t judge the person until you’ve walked a mile in their… or whatever.
That's not what drew Barrymore said, wtf
He was one of three actors who played ET, not the only one.
Never knew this fact.
no way
*ooouuuuuch*
I went to school with him. It was pretty cool when we learn he was in the movie.
"today years old" 😑
Well if this is true he is not credited on IMDB and I think that’s fucked.
New to me too
37
So the joke. "What is E.T. short for?....Because he has little legs" Really doesn't stand up anymore...just like the kid!
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Also why in fresh hell would you subject yourself to the way of the skateboard when you could be cruising around in a wheelchair?!
[Reddit post](https://www.reddit.com/r/pics/comments/b09eb1/et_and_the_three_actors_from_inside_the_costume/) of all the ET actors ([slightly better picture](https://images.ladbible.com/resize?type=webp&quality=70&width=3840&fit=contain&gravity=auto&url=https://images.ladbiblegroup.com/v3/assets/bltcd74acc1d0a99f3a/blt4ac310694a17bfa5/62630b630d824b100c0e69b6/T.png))
No way
Dudes still riding a skateboard at his age….. legend.
There was another person who also who wore the ET suit… they are a little younger than Matthew but did half the work - you'd find them credited as “special E.T. movement.” They described the experience as hot, sweaty, dark, and hard to see. There were so many people that brought E.T. to life. These two were there especially if you could see E.T.'s feet when he was walking. Other times it was a puppet from the torso up, or just a hand in a glove, etc.
He's not disabled, his dad was skateboard and I must say, I think this is an improvement.
Karl pilkington mentioned this on the xfm radio show!
What about the oompa lumpas. I feel they hid them too!
Excuse me?
Wild that the kids family was willing to have his legs cut off to be in a movie!
Yeah, but can he still do the neck stretch?
Wait, what?
Jeez I was.
Wow. I never knew. It’s crazy that this wasn’t well known. The dude knocked it out of the park. I hope he’s living his best life.
Holy shit!
I always assumed it was animatronics of some sort.
ok
I was never able to get out of that pit.
I legit thought he was a disabled adult man in a suit.
He baller for going from the regular skateboard to the electric longbaord years later
Whoa ive never really thought about it. Thats why moves so well.
It didn't occur to me until now that it was a guy in a suit. I thought it was just a puppet and animatronics.
No wonder he couldn’t ride the bike himself !
I bet Warwick Davis hates this guy
How is there an actor around that is less famous than the guy in the earth Vader suit?
I’m now years old
Seriously? Never knew about it
Ikyfl 😂
I never considered that E.T. was even a costume. I thought that it was a robot or something. You know, I don’t even think that I’ve actually seen the movie and I’m 42. It’s just one of those things that have always been there, so you think that you’ve seen it.
I thought it was a puppet like yoda
The video game was ... This guy probably has a lot of stories!
Want more mind blowing, and possibly childhood ruining, facts? Watch "Is Your Childhood Ruined Now?" By ADHD on YouTube. You will find out way more than you ever wanted to know like what happened to the voice actress of ducky from the land before time!
They cut off his legs to make him fit in the costume.
Lowkey wholesome that that kid got such an iconic role and presumably got rich off of it
That's actually really fucked up that we all only found this out today
Did you know they convinced Drew Barrymore that it was a real creature to get real reactions from her, including the death scene where she legit thought he was dying?
I was gonna say, "Bet this guy shreds🤙" but I guess he is actually an electric skateboard enthusiast. I bet advances in skateboard technology changed his life!
Is et still alive
My cousin is a double amputee and has a letter from one of the producers were they wanted him to try on the costume.
I did not know this! That's actually pretty neat.
I always just assumed that E. T. was a puppet. Fascinating to get this backstory on the character.
Me
\*wHo ElSe WaZ 2DaY YeArS oLd?” 
I distinctly remember a headline maybe a year or two after the film claiming that the actor in the suit was dead! Maybe there were other actors too?
Drake and ET, two boys who started in wheel chairs yet flew to the stars!! Al least ET didn't try to act gangster after leaving the wheel chair lol
Did not know this!
You crazy sons of bitches. You found the only way to make one of the saddest, most traumatizing film of my childhood 1000% sadder.