<P> Filming Raiders of the Lost Ark in Tunisia left Spielberg bored, and memories of his childhood creation resurfaced . He told screenwriter Melissa Mathison about Night Skies, and developed a subplot from the failed project, in which Buddy, the only friendly alien, befriends an autistic child . His abandonment on Earth in the script's final scene inspired the E.T. concept . She wrote a first draft titled E.T. and Me in eight weeks, which he considered perfect . The script went through two more drafts, which deleted an "Eddie Haskell"--esque friend of Elliott . The chase sequence was also created, and he also suggested having the scene where E.T. got drunk . </P> <P> In early summer 1981, while Raiders of the Lost Ark was being promoted, Columbia Pictures met with Spielberg to discuss the script, after having to develop Night Skies with the director as the intended sequel to Close Encounters of the Third Kind . However, the head of Columbia Pictures' marketing and research development, Marvin Atonowsky, concluded that it had a limited commercial potential, believing that it would appeal to mostly young kids . The President of Columbia's worldwide productions, John Veitch, also felt that the script was not good or scary enough to draw enough crowd . On the advice of Atonowsky and Veitch, Columbia Pictures CEO Frank Price passed on the project, calling it "a wimpy Walt Disney movie" and thus putting it in a turnaround, so Spielberg approached the more receptive Sid Sheinberg, president of MCA, the then - parent company of Universal Studios . Spielberg told Sheinberg to acquire the E.T. script from Columbia Pictures, which he did for $1 million and struck a deal with Price in which Columbia would retain 5% of the film's net profits . Veitch later recalled that "I think (in 1982) we made more on that picture than we did on any of our films ." </P> <P> Carlo Rambaldi, who designed the aliens for Close Encounters of the Third Kind, was hired to design the animatronics of E.T. Rambaldi's own painting Women of Delta led him to give the creature a unique, extendable neck . Its face was inspired by those of Carl Sandburg, Albert Einstein and Ernest Hemingway . Producer Kathleen Kennedy visited the Jules Stein Eye Institute to study real and glass eyes . She hired Institute staffers to create E.T.'s eyes, which she felt were particularly important in engaging the audience . Four heads were created for filming, one as the main animatronic and the others for facial expressions, as well as a costume . Two dwarfs, 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 . The head was placed above that of the actors, and the actors could see through slits in its chest . Caprice Roth, a professional mime, filled prosthetics to play E.T.'s hands . The puppet was created in three months at the cost of $1.5 million . Spielberg declared it was "something that only a mother could love". Mars, Incorporated refused to allow M&M's to be used in the film, believing E.T. would frighten children . After Mars said "No", The Hershey Company was asked if Reese's Pieces could be used, and it agreed; this product placement resulted in a large increase in Reese's Pieces sales . Science and technology educator Henry Feinberg created E.T.'s communicator device . </P> <P> Having worked with Cary Guffey on Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Spielberg felt confident in working with a cast composed mostly of child actors . For the role of Elliott, he auditioned hundreds of boys before Jack Fisk suggested Henry Thomas for the role because Henry had played the part of Harry in the film Raggedy Man which Jack Fisk had directed . Thomas, who auditioned in an Indiana Jones costume, did not perform well in the formal testing, but got the filmmakers' attention in an improvised scene . Thoughts of his dead dog inspired his convincing tears . Robert MacNaughton auditioned eight times to play Michael, sometimes with boys auditioning for Elliott . Spielberg felt Drew Barrymore had the right imagination for mischievous Gertie after she impressed him with a story that she led a punk rock band . He enjoyed working with the children, and he later said that the experience made him feel ready to be a father . </P>

Et was played by a kid with no legs