Steven Avery: ‘E.T.’ Actor Henry Thomas Takes Role Based On Avery In ‘Law & Order: SVU’ Episode


Law & Order: SVU is in the midst of working on an episode based off of the popular Netflix docu-series Making a Murderer, and Henry Thomas, the former child actor that shined in 1982’s E.T. movie, will star as a character that closely represents Avery.

E! News reports that the new episode will feature Thomas taking on a guest role as a man released from prison after serving 16 years, once DNA evidence cleared him from a rape he didn’t commit. His freedom is put into jeopardy shortly after released when he’s accused of another heinous crime; this time, the crime is deadly.

Making a Murderer follows Steven Avery, a man released from prison after serving 18 years, when DNA testing excluded him from a rape he was previously convicted. Avery had only a few years of freedom before he was accused and ultimately convicted in 2007 of murdering a 25-year-old freelance photographer, Teresa Halbach. The documentary sparked worldwide outrage after viewers questioned the detectives’ interrogation practices, their lack of evidence, and for allegedly planting evidence to frame Avery.

Although there are obvious similarities between the new Law & Order: SVU episode and Avery’s case, there will also be a few different twists and turns that the producers are being tight-lipped about. For instance, there’s no indication how the episode end, including whether Thomas’ character eventually meets the same fate as Avery.

Thomas, a native of San Antonio, rose to fame at the tender age of 10, when he played Elliot in Steven Spielberg’s Oscar-winning film, E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial. After the success of the movie, Henry returned home to Texas, where he acted here and there, but mostly focused on school.

In 1990, he returned to big screen, all grown up, and received critical reception for his role as Norman Bates in the 1990 TV movie, Psycho IV: The Beginning. Yet it was his role as Sam Ludlow in the 1994 film, Legends of the Fall, that put him back on the radar.

Since then, Thomas has managed to stay out of the spotlight, even while taking on a supporting roles in the 2001 Martin Scorsese film, The Gangs of New York. Most recently, he starred as Hank Williams in the 2011 film, The Last Ride.

Henry Thomas, left, with Robert McNaughton and Drew Barrymore, stars of the 1982 film, E.T. [Photo by AP/Wally Fong]
Law & Order: SVU’s new season is scheduled to start back Wednesday, September 21, at 9:00 p.m. EST on NBC.

Meanwhile, another show, Reelz‘s Murder Made Me Famous, is also gearing for an Avery-based episode, and this time, Avery himself will be in the episode, played by new actor, Chad Pack, 33, of Waco, Texas. NBC KCEN reports that Pack, a cable company employee, generally does work as an extra on shows, but the resemblance to Avery, at least to the producers of the show, was so uncanny that he was asked to take the lead role.

Although Pack didn’t mention his opinion on Avery’s guilt or innocence, he did indicate that he felt honored to portray the Manitowoc County man in the episode.

“Being able to play him. It’s an honor. I would never have imagined it would happen.”

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Murder Made Me Famous, a documentary show based on facts surrounding convicted killers who rose to fame for their crimes, airs on the Reelz channel on Saturday nights at 9:00 p.m. EST. The Avery episode is scheduled to air on July 30.

Steven Avery remains behind bars, serving a life sentence in a Wisconsin prison. The next installment of Making a Murderer will focus on Avery’s post-conviction process, as well as evidence gathered by his wrongful conviction attorney, Kathleen Zellner. The release date for the documentary’s 2nd season is currently pending.

[Photo by AP/Vince Bucci]

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