“I’m basically playing Mike’s dad”: Henry Thomas Developed a Special Bond With Horror Auteur Mike Flanagan After Being Saved From Going Broke
American actor Henry Thomas rose to fame with Steven Spielberg’s E.T. He was nominated for A BAFTA, and Golden Globe and went on to secure the Young Artist Award for his outstanding performance in Steven Spielberg’s sci-fi drama. He started as a child actor and went on top to become a significant part of movies like Gangs of New York, Pretty Horses, Suicide Kings, and Dear John.
During an interview with a media outlet, Henry Thomas spoke about his bond with filmmaker Mike Flanagan and how the horror auteur helped him from getting broke during one of the toughest periods of his life.
Henry Thomas Developed A Special Bond With Mike Flanagan When He Was Almost Broke
During an interview with The Guardian in 2023, the actor poured his heart out while talking about one of the worst periods of his life. The E.T. star recalled how Mike Flanagan appeared as a blessing in disguise when his career suffered due to the 2007 -08s writer’s strike and mortgage crisis. He said-
“The last writers’ strike coincided with a mortgage crisis – it was pretty bleak in terms of opportunity. I had three small children and I was the sole provider. My money was all from acting hoo-ha – I’ve never really been very much of a businessman, I’ve stumbled along in terms of fortune. So I was really thinking of getting out of LA to start a farm and raise my kids there. I had to do something.”
He revealed that a meeting with the American director Mike Flanagan went on to change the course of his acting career. While talking about his rapport with Mike Flanagan, Henry Thomas said-
“I’m basically playing Mike’s dad with a different accent. He’s cast me in that role a few times.”
He collaborated with Flanagan for the first time for the 2016-released Ouija: Origin of Evil. The professional relationship of the actor-director duo spans 8 projects including Gerald’s Game and Doctor Sleep. On the small screen, Thomas and Flanagan’s partnership has given projects like The Haunting of Hill House, The Haunting of Bly Manor, Midnight Mass, and The Midnight Club.
Henry Thomas Talks About His Life After E.T.
Henry Thomas saw humongous fame at a very young age. He became a popular child artist after his great performance in Steven Spielberg’s E.T. He was just 10 years old when he starred alongside young Drew Barrymore. During an interview with The Guardian, Henry Thomas spoke about how his life changed after E.T. He said-
“It was a total unexpected side-effect of doing this fun thing I had wanted to do. I had no clue that my life would change in any way. I worked on this movie, then I’m back on the farm, I’m back at school – but now people are pointing at me in the street.”
His family was not accustomed to the newfound fame Thomas was subjected to. Despite being in the media attention, Henry Thomas’ family did not get affected by his celebrity status. His mother would take him to the auditions and tried her best to protect him from media attention. He mentioned-
“She was doing the best job that she knew how to do. My whole family weren’t really well equipped to deal with anything like that. And other than a few precautions, we didn’t change our lives that much. Consequently, we got a lot of weird visitors to our residence and things like that, phone calls. We had to call the authorities a few times. ET was a real sensation, some people were fanatical about it.”
Henry Thomas led E.T. went on to amass a whopping box office collection of $619 million against the production budget of $10.5 million. Steven Spielberg’s blockbuster comes under the list of best sci-fi movies of all time. With an IMDb rating of 7.9 out of 10, E.T. can be streamed on Prime Video.
