Steven Spielberg confirms ET was 'moist but never slimy'
In a New York Times interview, director Steven Spielberg answered a question about the texture of his 1982 film character's skin, stating ET was moist but not slimy. The moment has sparked debate about modern celebrity interview formats.
Steven Spielberg, who usually avoids the indignities of modern press tours, recently participated in an interview with Rachel Abrams for the New York Times. A clip of the interview went viral when Abrams asked the director: "Was ET slimy or dry?"
Spielberg responded with bewilderment but enthusiasm: "ET was a little moist but never slimy." He explained that ET was only dry when he got sick, and noted that Xenomorphs from Alien are slimy, but ET was not. "ET never had tendrils of drool," he added.
The article examines the nature of this question. Was it an attempt to extract genuinely new information from a celebrity, or a deliberately silly question aimed at generating clicks? Abrams claimed it was in the public interest because it had been a long-standing debate among her friends. However, the author argues that ET's skin is clearly visible throughout the film — it is pleather or pleather-adjacent, like the skin of a Mediterranean grandmother, with no slime. If ET were slimy, the film would have shown consequences like Drew Barrymore slipping or Elliott's clothes covered in slime after their hug scene.
This incident has sparked discussion about whether such questions will become a trend in celebrity interviews. The author humorously speculates that soon we might see Martin Scorsese asked about Jake LaMotta having 12 ears, or Paul Thomas Anderson asked if Daniel Day-Lewis is secretly a mouse.
