05/24/2026
He was only thirteen years old. He had no talent agent, no acting experience, and absolutely no connection to the glittering world of Hollywood. Yet, this teenage boy managed to secure a central role in one of the greatest cinematic masterpieces of all time, all while remaining completely invisible to the world.
His name is Matthew De Merritt, and he was born without legs. From his earliest childhood, Matthew refused to let his physical limitations define his life. Instead of relying on a wheelchair, he trained his upper body to do the impossible. He learned to walk, balance, and run with incredible agility by using his hands as feet, moving through the world with his head held high.
In 1981, Matthew was undergoing routine physical therapy at the UCLA Medical Center in Los Angeles. He had no idea that a few miles away, a massive creative crisis was unfolding. Legendary director Steven Spielberg was in the middle of filming his secret project, E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial.
Spielberg had a major problem. He had spent a fortune on state-of-the-art animatronics, mechanical puppets, and complex wiring to bring his gentle alien to life. But on camera, the movements looked rigid, fake, and lifeless. The alien lacked that tender, clumsy, and deeply human touch needed to make audiences fall in love with him.
The turning point came when one of Matthew’s physical therapists watched the boy glide effortlessly across the room on his hands. Amazed by his strength and fluid motion, the therapist reached out to a production scout. Within days, Universal Studios called the hospital with an unusual request. They wanted the thirteen-year-old to audition.
When Matthew arrived on set, the crew presented him with a heavy, stifling costume made of thick rubber and latex. It stood just four feet tall, featuring a massive, disproportionate head and an awkwardly shaped body. For most people, moving inside it would be a nightmare. But for Matthew, it was an open stage.
He slipped into the suit and began to walk. Because he was using his hands to support his weight, the heavy alien body naturally swayed, tilted, and staggered forward. It looked exactly like a curious, vulnerable creature exploring a strange new planet for the very first time. Spielberg and his team knew instantly that they had found their missing piece.
Matthew was cast immediately, sharing the role with two other performers of short stature, Tamara De Treaux and Pat Bilon. However, Matthew was chosen specifically for the most delicate physical sequences. When you watch the iconic scenes where E.T. falls over in the kitchen after drinking a soda, or when he stumbles through the house, you are actually watching Matthew’s incredible physical performance.
Looking back on the experience years later, Matthew recalled the intense conditions inside the suit. "It was hot and it was hard work," he explained during a rare interview. "But everybody was nice to me." He also admitted with a laugh that his favorite part was simply when they fell over, because it meant he finally got to rest inside the heavy costume.
When the movie hit theaters, it became an overnight global phenomenon. Millions of people cried, laughed, and cheered for the gentle alien. Yet, when the credits rolled, Matthew’s name did not appear next to the word actor. Instead, he was credited under the mysterious title of Special E.T. Movement.
After the cameras stopped rolling, Matthew chose not to pursue a career in show business. He went back to his normal life, attended college, became a teacher, and played wheelchair basketball, keeping his extraordinary cinematic secret close to his heart.
Today, Matthew is fifty-six years old. He never received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, and his face remains unknown to the millions of fans who watch the film every year. But fame was never the point. Without his courage, his strength, and his unique spirit, the alien we all love would have just been a lifeless piece of plastic. He gave E.T. a soul, proving that you do not need to be seen by the world to completely change it.
>We Are Human Angels<
Authors
Awakening the Human Spirit
We are the authors of 'We Are Human Angels,' the book that has spread a new vision of the human experience and has been spontaneously translated into 14 languages by readers.
We hope our writing sparks something in you!
