Steven Spielberg: Ronald Reagan Said 'E.T.' Was Real, Was Probably Joking

Long out of Hollywood, Ronald Reagan may have put on his own little acting clinic in the company of a legendary director.

In a new interview with Aint It Cool News, Spielberg details the time he screened his classic film "E.T." at the White House for Reagan and distinguished guests -- and the former president's coy response to the alien epic.

"He just stood up and he looked around the room, almost like he was doing a headcount, and he said, 'I wanted to thank you for bringing E.T. to the White House. We really enjoyed your movie,' and then he looked around the room and said, And there are a number of people in this room who know that everything on that screen is absolutely true,'" Spielberg remembered. "And he said it without smiling! But he said that and everybody laughed, by the way. The whole room laughed because he presented it like a joke, but he wasn't smiling as he said it."

So, did he really believe that the story of the friendly little Reese's Pieces loving alien and his young friend actually happened?

Maybe, maybe not. But Spielberg thinks it was probably a joke from the actor president. Not that he isn't hoping otherwise.

"I think he delivered a joke without smiling, without a little bit of a twinkle behind the joke," Spielberg said. "I think the joke landed because everybody laughed, but because I'm a little bit of a Ufologist I was hoping that there was something more to the joke than met my eye. I'm sorry to say I think he was simply trying to tell a joke."

Interestingly, Spielberg's new movie, "Super 8," involves government secret coverups about aliens and mysterious forces. Perhaps if he screens it for Barack Obama, he may get another little hint.

For more, click over to Aint It Cool News.

Comments

[truthsayer4ever]

09:59 AM on 06/08/2011

If you look at the pictures, there is a definite resemblance. . . .hmmmmmmmmmmmm.

[123biteme]

08:14 AM on 06/08/2011

More important, did ET believe Reagan was real?

[Tone67]

08:01 AM on 06/08/2011

I cant believe im saying this but dont be so quick to play Reagan as that stupid, I believe Reagan was the public's best chance at having a President disclose the truth about ET's he was practically bursting at the seams to do it.

[Abena in Africa]

09:49 AM on 06/08/2011

Hmmm...interesting. I always thought JFK was the best chance, since he wrote two letters to the head of the CIA demanding UFO files, 10 days before his death. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1378284/Secret-memo-shows-JFK-demanded-UFO-files-10-days-assassination.html

[Tone67]

11:53 AM on 06/08/2011

Yea, true that but JFK wasnt as public about it as Reagan.

[DanoX]

02:45 AM on 06/08/2011

That's why E.T. wanted to get off this planet so bad! We had just elected Reagen, and he didn't want be in the same solar system as that guy!

[DanoX]

02:44 AM on 06/08/2011

82', so he was most likely joking. His dementia didn't really start to kick in until his second term.

[StopCensoringMe]

02:26 AM on 06/08/2011

Raygun spent most of his later years pretty, um, confused. He may have thought it was a relative.

[KennytheRTiger]

01:59 AM on 06/08/2011

Drugs are bad. Just say no.

[ros375]

01:59 AM on 06/08/2011

That's such a misleading headling HP! Was expecting a serious article.

[deven61]

06:46 PM on 06/07/2011

As an Irish-American, I have mixed emotions about Ronald Reagan. I hated his politics, however, he started out as a Roosevelt Democrat, he was a union leader, he was underrated actor (check out Dark Victory or Kings Row), and he was lifeguard at one point in his life. He could tell a humorous story and based on the book outlining his letters to his wife, he was also a great husband and a wine connoisseur (He really went on about the wine selections in New York in some of his letters to Nancy). Who is to say, that Alzheimer’s didn’t start much earlier in his life, say around the time he became a Republican for instance…In any event, he was a great guy that didn’t vote for the right party. Just like a few of my buddies right now.

[malzor]

08:55 PM on 06/07/2011

what's the password?

[abuckley23]

04:29 PM on 06/07/2011

Makes sense. Both Reagan and E.T. were probably created in Jim Henson's workshop.

[funmiester1]

03:31 PM on 06/07/2011

Ronald Reagan also thought Trickle-Down Economics was real too.

[cdecisneros]

03:23 PM on 06/07/2011

They used to show the guys in the Army a movie about how a plane and how the ball turrent gunner was trapped. Anyway, As the plane is going down everyone gets out. The pilot stays behind. The gunner tells him to leave. The pilot say No will go down together. Reagan thought this was real also.

[LameDuckHunting]

12:48 PM on 06/07/2011

Did ET think Ronald Reagan was real?........................

[CSKAP]

11:48 AM on 06/07/2011

Well, He believed catsup was a veggie and that trees caused air pollution so.......

[cdecisneros]

03:21 PM on 06/07/2011

And that you can recall missiles fired from Subs.

[tkns]

09:50 AM on 06/07/2011

Well there is a museum in Kansas that claims dinosaurs and man lived together. They even have dinosaur saddles . Plenty of believers flock to the "museum".

[Just a passerby]

10:30 AM on 06/07/2011

I thought it was in Kentucky?

Unless there are TWO of them . . .

[tkns]

10:43 AM on 06/07/2011

You are right, it is in Kentucky. But apaprantely they have many more such dinosaur/man museums- eg Glendive, Montana .

The sad thing is that about 1/3rd of Americans apparantely believe that man and dinosaurs lived together and that men rode dinosaurs.

[doctorkosan]

11:06 AM on 06/07/2011

I heard that man on dinosaur is not legal in KY.