Entertainment Movies Drew Barrymore Reunites with 'E.T.' Onscreen Mom Dee Wallace Ahead of Film's 40th Anniversary "I knew you were going to be a director/producer back then," Dee Wallace told Drew Barrymore as they reminisced about playing mother and daughter in 1982's E.T. the Extraterrestrial By Glenn Garner Glenn Garner Instagram Twitter Glenn Garner is a Writer/Reporter who works heavily with PEOPLE's Movies and TV verticals. Since graduating from Northern Arizona University with a dual major in journalism and photography, he got his professional start at OUT Magazine, The Advocate and Teen Vogue, and he's since consistently kept his finger on the pulse of the LGBTQ community. His first book The Guncle Guide was released in 2020 and was featured on Katie Couric's list of 100 recommended books of the year. People Editorial Guidelines Published on April 18, 2022 07:03 PM Share Tweet Pin Email Drew Barrymore is taking fans on a trip down memory lane. The Golden Globe winner, 47, reunited with Dee Wallace, who played her mother in 1982's E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, as they reminisced about the film ahead of its 40th anniversary Monday on The Drew Barrymore Show. "That was the first day on the set and I'm sitting in this really high director's chair," Wallace, 73, recalled of a photo of the two of them. "And Drew comes up to me and she says, 'Hi, I'm going to sit on your lap now.' And I said, 'Well, come on up Drew.'" "I mean, I knew you were going to be a director/producer back then," she told Barrymore. Barrymore raved about how "sexy" Wallace looked in the cheetah costume her character wore for the Halloween scene. "I still fit in it too," Wallace proclaimed. Drew Barrymore to Celebrate 40th Anniversary of E.T. with Steven Spielberg and Her Daughters Universal/Kobal/Shutterstock "Oh, I bet you do," Barrymore told her. "You are giving me goals!" Although Barrymore claimed she "saw the wires" and "knew the deal" with the animatronic E.T. puppets, Wallace rebutted: "Oh, do not believe that for a moment." Wallace recounted finding a young Barrymore in the corner one day, striking up a conversation with the inactive puppet. "From that time on, [director Steven Spielberg] had two guys on E.T. at all times, so that any time you went over to talk to him, his eyes could work and his head could go up and down and he could respond to you," she said. The Cujo star also recalled Barrymore's emotional connection to E.T., which resulted in a tearful reaction to seeing the character on his deathbed. "Being the mother that I am with all the kids that I work with ... I went over and I said, 'OK Drew, now we're going to go shoot the scene where E.T.'s dying, but you know he's not really dying sweetheart. He's acting, just like we are, OK?'" she said. "And you looked at me and you said, 'I know, Dee. Do you think I'm stupid?' "So, I picked you up, we walked into the set. You took one look at E.T. and went (crying) 'Ah, he's dying, Dee! He's dying,'" Wallace explained with a laugh. RELATED VIDEO: Drew Barrymore Reunites with Scream Costars Courteney Cox, David Arquette, Neve Campbell On Her Show Barrymore is preparing to reunite with Spielberg, 75, and her onscreen brother Henry Thomas to celebrate the film's 40th anniversary this week at the 2022 TCM Classic Film Festival. She previously told PEOPLE how she plans to include her daughters Olive, 9, and Frankie, 7, in the festivities. "I've actually been speaking with Steven Spielberg about it," said Barrymore. "He calls my girls who he held when they were babies, and he's known them throughout their lives. I do want to revel in this moment with them and include them and celebrate with Steven. He's a big father figure to me."