Drew Barrymore relives her first Tonight Show appearance at age 7

During her recent visit to "The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon" on May 16, Drew Barrymore took a nostalgic journey back to her first appearance on the show at the tender age of 7. 

The actress, now 49, was visibly moved as she watched a clip from 1982 when she was interviewed by the legendary Johnny Carson.

In the vintage footage, a young Barrymore is prompted by Carson to deliver a loud scream, showcasing her early flair for performance. "That’s a good scream," Carson complimented, Barrymore joyfully recalled, "I practiced so much at home that I was able to do it."

Reflecting further on her childhood, Barrymore discussed her iconic role in "E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial," which she starred in at the same age she made her Tonight Show debut. "I think E.T. was definitely, sort of, my first imaginary friend that I also knew wasn't real,” she recalled. 

“I fully understood, but I think we need to project a matter of a belief system in things. Whether it's imaginary or very real and tangible, it's part of a survival mechanism, as well as just an absolute pleasure to identify things that make us feel good, that we feel like believe in us, like we believe in them.”

Dee Wallace, who played Barrymore's mom in the film, also shared a memory. "We found you over there just talking away to E.T. and so we let director Steven [Spielberg] know," Wallace remembered. "And so Steven, from that time on, appointed two guys to keep E.T. 'alive' so whenever you came over to talk to him, he could react to you."

“E.T." approaches its 42nd anniversary this december 9th 2024.