Movies
Watch Henry Thomas’ Epic ‘E.T.’ Audition!
Being both a writer and producer, I’ve been blessed to be part of the casting process of a movie – I can’t even begin to tell you how difficult it is, especially for an indie film. But it doesn’t take expert eyes to recognize talent like this.
Released by Universal Pictures in Sweden, below is footage of Henry Thomas auditioning for the role of Elliot in Steven Spielberg’s E.T..
You can hear Spielberg in the background giving Thomas direction, explaining to him what his character’s mindset would be.
Then, someone else off-screen lazily reads off lines from the screenplay that sound as if they’re a work in progress (or the delivery is just awful). Being that this is who young Thomas had to react to makes the video all the more magical.
Behold Thomas’ conviction followed by an emotional explosion. It’s powerful stuff from such a young actor. I can only imagine what he used to get motivated – possibly he was thinking about his dog dying or maybe he wanted the job so bad that he thought about being rejected by one Steven Spielberg? Whatever the case may be, prepare to be transported to planet awesome and enjoy the end when Spielberg quickly exclaims, “You got the job!”
Note: I’m not an extra features kinda guy, so I couldn’t tell you if the following footage is on any of the domestic releases.
A contemporary reimagining of H.P. Lovecraft’s short story Herbert West: Reanimator is on the way, and Deadline has unveiled the first look at the new Herbert West and the pathologist drawn to his orbit.
The original screenplay and storyline come from Jade Sandberg Wallis.
Michael Grossman (“The Originals”, “Pretty Little Liars”) directs.
The new images introduce star Joseph Morgan (“Vampire Diaries“), who plays “brilliant surgeon and scientist Herbert West, who is obsessed with creating a serum to reanimate the dead.” Katie Cassidy (Speed Demon) stars opposite as the pathologist with a troubled past who joins his efforts.
Together, they prove that conquering death may be the ultimate sin against life itself.
The film’s official synopsis: “As a child, Herbert West watches his father Peter reanimate his dead mother Judith in a secret basement lab — only for Judith to mortally wound Peter and nearly kill Herbert before Peter shoots her. The trauma leaves its mark on Herbert, but so does one final image: his mother’s finger, twitching after death. Thirty years later, Herbert West is a brilliant, secretive surgeon still chasing his father’s obsession.
“Pathologist Kate Locke arrives in town and is drawn into his orbit — first through a spark at a hospital fundraiser, then through his secret lab, where he reveals a serum capable of reanimating severed tissue. Kate, hiding a dark past of her own, is thrilled rather than horrified, and moves into West’s mansion to work alongside him. Their early experiments on a cadaver succeed only briefly. West concludes that dead tissue is the problem — they need something fresher.”
Supporting cast includes Scott Aiello, Ira J Amyx, Randall Newsome, Emma Reinagal, James D. Bryce, Kathryn A Bentley, Jack Lancaster, Amy Holland Pennell, John Pierson, Mindy Shaw, Eric Dean White, Tristan Wilder Hallet, Adrienne Lamping, Aaron Crippen, and Drew Patterson.
Makeup artist Jeff Lewis (“Star Trek: Voyager,” “Star Trek: Enterprise”) and cousin Roger Lewis are heading the production via their newly established Woodlake Entertainment.
Lovecraft’s short story, first serialized in Home Brew magazine in 1922, is the first among his works to mention the fictional Miskatonic University. It was most famously adapted into a 1985 horror movie from Stuart Gordon, starring Jeffrey Combs as Herbert West.
Herbert West: Reanimator is set in Alton, Illinois, where production is now underway.
Herbert West: Reanimator. Photo credit: Matt Lief Anderson
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