Robert MacNaughton is a man known for quite a few roles, however, today we know him as Michael from the world shattering movie ET The Extra Terrestrial. Mutilated Mohawk Media had the exclusive chance to catch up with Robert and ask him a few questions about being in one of the 80s most iconic movies.
Back To The Eighties
You were 15 when E.T The Extra Terrestrial came out?
I was, yes. I was fourteen when we filmed it in September through November of 1981 and fifteen when it came out. I’m twenty years and one day younger than Steven (Spielberg), so it’s always easy to remember.
Did your life change at all once this movie did come out?
It certainly did. I had done one semester in high school before it came out and then I went back to high school after the summer after it had blown up. It was sort of like, well I was in the drama club before, you know. I was doing plays outside of school but I was also in the drama club and really not one of the cool kids. Then all of the sudden I’m getting invited to all of the football parties and getting sort of instant popularity, which wasn’t necessarily a good thing. I’d like to say I handled it well but I don’t think I did.
Are you a horror fan and what would you say are some of your favorite movies in the genre?
I am a huge horror fan. I have been for a long time. There is one movie that is obscure and it always gave me the creeps. It’s called The Other, not The Others, but The Other. Not the Nicole Kidman film, although that’s great too. The Other was a great movie. It was about a kid who has a twin brother and it’s just a real eerie movie from the seventies. Of course, The Shining. With The Shining I read the book and then I was doing a TV show in Florida when the movie came out but I was still reading the book. Somebody came up behind me and I jumped about a foot out of my chair. Then I saw it in a theater in Florida when it came out. Scared me to death. That movie holds up so well. One more, hmm. It’s a tough list because there are so many great horror films. You know what, I’m gonna be boring and say The Exorcist. Yeah, it still gets me. .
Could you share maybe one of your favorite moments behind the scenes with the cast of ET?
Well, one of the real behind the scenes moments happened when we were sort of in between doing school and doing the filming. All of us were in school together and there was one kid who was not one of the cast, but one of the other kids that was working on the film. He was kind of being mean to one of the girls, not Drew (Barrymore). Our friend Matt De Meritt who played inside the ET costume was very athletic. He had no legs but he got around on his hands and a skateboard. He was really athletic and I remember he just launched himself off this ramp and tackled this guy. It’s like, we were just hanging out, but this guy was being this jerk to this girl. Matt went up the ramp and just jumped on this guy’s shoulders. He didn’t hit him or anything, he just let him know that you can’t do that.
Have you been on the ET Ride at Universal and were you involved with that at all?
I actually haven’t been on the ride. They invited Henry (Thomas Junior) and I to do it when it first opened in LA. They didn’t specifically say that ride. They just opened it and we were at Universal Studios for some kind of event and they said “You guys can go on one ride if you’d like” thinking we’d want to go on the ET ride and instead we both chose to go on the Jurassic Park ride. It was a water splash ride and more of a thrill ride. I was in my twenties and he was in his teens. To this day I haven’t been on the ET ride. I’ve heard how great it is and everything. I haven’t been to Walt Disney World either, I’ve only been to Disneyland.
What was it like working with Steven Spielberg?
I wasn’t as nervous as I thought I would be meeting him because he’s very, he has such enthusiasm. He sort of makes you forget how nervous you are. You spend a little time with him and he’s very like whatever he’s excited about at the moment, he gets you into it.
What motivation could you give to aspiring actors?
Do theater. Do theater and if you have the choice between New York and LA go to New York. New York’s harder to live in but New York is always the way to go, baby. In my opinion, just to get started. There are more opportunities to just act there. I wish I would have stayed in New York way back when instead of going to LA.
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