I’m feeling very affected by this. Seven-year-old Drew Barrymore reminds me a bit of Sutton, who’s just turned three. I love that Carson spent the first 60-plus seconds settling her nerves about having fallen and soothing any slight embarrassment she might have been feeling. A good interviewer always shows respect and restraint, but allows feelings of affection to leak out if they naturally surface [go to 7:53].

In late May of ’82 I did an Us magazine group interview with Drew, Henry Thomas (who was 10) and Robert MacNaughton (then 15).

I remember being told by my Us editor, Stephen Schaefer, that a decision had been made by Universal publicists and magazine editors alike to concentrate on Henry and Drew and downplay poor Robert. “But he’s so good in the film!,” I replied, feeling a bit sorry for the guy. That may be true, I was told, but he’s too old and not cute enough — the story will be about Henry and Drew.

The piece was called “E.T.’s Tiny Heroes,” and it turned out to be a cover (my first). The issue date was 7.20.82.

Richard Attenborough‘s Gandhi won the 1982 Best Picture Oscar. Because it said something important and politically correct about social issues, human rights and whatnot. E.T. should have won for the simple, undisputed fact that it’s a much better film that Gandhi…much. Yes, some of it feels emotionally heavy-handed, but I’m suddenly seized by an impulse to watch it again.

I ran into Drew again in ’99 at that Sunset Marquis bar (Bar 1200) — she and Luke Wilson were parked at a table, and I sat down for a chat.

Drew will hit 50 on 2.22.25 — less than three months hence. Henry Thomas turned 50 three years ago — 9.9.21.