The Fascinating Way Steven Spielberg's E.T. Got His Unmistakable Voice

What if we told you that the titular alien in 1982's "E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial" sounds the way he does because of cigarettes? That's right — when you hear "E.T. phone home" and other memorable lines from the movie, you're actually hearing the voice of Pat Welsh, a retired teacher who smoked two packs a day. While actress Debra Winger provided some of E.T.'s vocals, Steven Spielberg tapped Welsh to give the alien his unmistakable raspy sound, and it's all thanks to a chance encounter with sound designer Ben Burtt.

Burtt overheard Welsh talking in a local camera store and knew right away that he might have found the perfect fit for the E.T. voice role. Just to be sure, though, the sound designer convinced Welsh to remove her dentures while speaking, and the rest is history. The former teacher was paid $380 to spend 9.5 hours on the set recording lines, ultimately leading to her voice becoming immortalized in one of Spielberg's best alien movies. Welsh didn't pursue a career as a major Hollywood voice actor following "E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial," but you may recognize her voice — or E.T.'s rather — from another iconic '80s sci-fi movie.

"E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial" may have banned in Scandinavia, but residents in that part of the world got to hear Welsh's voice a year later in "Star Wars: Episode VI — Return of the Jedi." The scene in question sees Princess Leia (Carrie Fisher) adopt the identity of Boushh, an alien bounty hunter, to sneak into Jabba the Hutt's palace and free Han Solo (Harrison Ford) from his captivity. Welsh provides the raspy voice Leia uses while she's disguised as Boushh, and it sounds quite similar to E.T. Burtt also worked on this movie, so he may have played a part in getting the gig for Welsh.

Of course, Welsh venturing into the galaxy far, far away won't surprise anyone who's familiar with the relationship between Spielberg and George Lucas. These two legendary filmmakers love dropping easter eggs into each other's movies, as evidenced by the Yoda costume in "E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial" and Club Obi-Wan in "Indiana Jones and the Temple Doom." Despite not being part of the franchise, Spielberg even made millions from "Star Wars" — later retitled as Star Wars: Episode IV — A New Hope — thanks to a bet with Lucas.