Henry Thomas, Elliott in ‘E.T.’ arrested for DUII
Former child star Henry Thomas, who is best known for his role as Elliott in 1982’s E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, has been arrested.
A spokesperson for the Tualatin Police Department confirms to Yahoo Entertainment that 48-year-old Thomas was picked up Monday night for DUII. (Oregon uses the term DUII, “driving under the influence of intoxicants,” instead of DUI, “driving under the influence.”)
He was booked into the Washington County Jail and was released on Tuesday morning.
NBC affiliate KGW first reported the arrest, saying police were called at approximately 8:30 p.m. on Monday about a car that wasn’t moving in an intersection of a commercial area of Tualatin, which is a suburb in the Portland Metropolitan Area. When police responded, they found Thomas in the stationary car. He was given a field sobriety test and then taken into custody.
According to TMZ, Thomas was asleep behind the wheel of the car, in the intersection, when police arrived on the scene.
E.T. made Thomas a star as a boy alongside co-star Drew Barrymore, who played his sister Gertie in the film. He’s worked consistently since then, including appearing in Gangs of New York and Legends of the Fall. He currently has a recurring role in Netflix’s The Haunting of Hill House.
In a 2012 interview with Radar Online timed with the 30th anniversary of E.T., Thomas talked about avoiding the pitfalls of child stardom. He said that it helped that he was never really was part of the Hollywood scene, which helped him avoid what happened to Barrymore, who started drinking before 10 and using drugs soon after.
“It upset me when she had problems because she was so young,” Thomas said. ”I saw it on the news, and my mom cried out ‘Poor Drew, oh my God!’ but I didn’t really relate to what was going on as I was so far removed.”
Thomas, who said he lost touch with Barrymore (“a film in 1982 is all we have in common”), went on to dismiss the curse of the child star, saying, “A lot of young people experiment and get into trouble. I think everyone makes such a big deal about that and get wrapped up in the ‘child stars gone wrong’ scandals, but it happens all over, teenagers experiment with drink and drugs everywhere — not just in Hollywood.”
He went on to say that “the industry has changed so much from when I was a kid and working.” He said movie sets were fueled by drugs in the ‘80s, but added, “At the time, I was oblivious.”
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