Steven Spielberg Clarifies Whether E.T. Was Slimy or Dry

Steven Spielberg has addressed a viral question about whether E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial was slimy or dry.

The director, who helmed the 1982 classic about a friendly alien stranded on Earth befriending Elliott (Henry Thomas), noted that the film became a massive hit, holding the title of highest‑grossing movie for 11 years until his own Jurassic Park surpassed it.

During a recent appearance on The New York Times podcast The Daily, Spielberg discussed the debate over E.T.’s texture. He described the conversation as “wild,” concluding that “E.T. was a little moist but never slimy,” and that he was “only dry when he got sick.”

He contrasted E.T. with the xenomorph from Ridley Scott’s Alien>, calling the latter “slimy” and noting that “E.T. never had the tendrils of drool. We didn’t go that far.”

Last year, Spielberg revealed he had considered an E.T. sequel set on the alien’s home planet, inspired by the novel The Green Planet by William Kotzwinkle. He ultimately decided the story worked better as a book than a film.

Spielberg remains closely associated with alien cinema, having also directed Close Encounters of the Third Kind, War of the Worlds, and his latest release Disclosure Day, which is performing strongly at the box office.

The film stars Josh O’Connor as a whistleblower racing to expose a government cover‑up of extraterrestrial contact, alongside Emily Blunt, Colman Domingo, and Colin Firth.

In a four‑star review, NME praised the movie’s emotional moments and striking action sequences, noting that while some may find the ending overly sentimental or wish for a shorter runtime, Spielberg’s work remains “big, smart and very satisfying cinema.”

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