Which actor played the school principal in the film "E.T." only to have his scene cut out of the movie?

The 1982 American film "E.T." (the Extra-Terrestrial) is a science fiction fantasy where Harrison Ford played the school principal. However, his only scene was cut from the movie because the director and producer, Steven Spielberg, decided his presence was far too distracting. The scene specifically featured Ford as the principal reprimanding Elliott for his bad behavior in a biology class.

Ford's wife at the time, Melissa Mathison, wrote the screenplay with great help from Spielberg. The film concept was based upon an idea of an imaginary friend. Spielberg had wanted to develop this idea of such a friend because it could be based upon the friend he created after his parents' divorce in 1960. Precisely, in the story in this instance, Elliott (Henry Thomas) is a lonely boy who befriends an extraterrestrial. The stranded being on Earth is dubbed "E.T.", and Elliott and his siblings take actions to help E.T. return to his home planet. They have to work very hard at keeping him hidden from their mother and the government.

More Info: en.wikipedia.org

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45 Comments

Jim Kinsey

Well, how would anyone know if his scene was cut from the movie

Corey Taylor

No big deal for Ford! Sure, he got cut from ONE Spielberg film, but the same director made him Indiana Jones four times over!

Ian Swindale

My daughter Helen saw the picture when she was 5 or 6 and we bought her a small ET which she took to see the movie much to the amusement of the audience when she said "ET, there you are" pointing to the screen. She is now 41 and still has that ET the only one of her cuddly toys that has survived this long.

David Eubanks

Jim Kinsey, Easy, just figure the age and who was avail. at the time. I had not idea but that is how I came up with the right answer. Most of these quiz questions can be answered if you use logic.