Performing Arts Director / Acting Coach

Caprice Rothe

Caprice Rothe is an actress, producer, director, acting coach, and movement artist to both youth and adults. Her youth education experience is best known from her time at the South Coast Repertory and at the Long Beach Playhouse.  As an actress, Caprice Rothe is well known for her alien choreography in the movies E.T. and Cocoon.

ETES is pleased to have Ms. Rothe participate as Acting Coach and Performing Arts Director.  Ms. Rothe is also the script coordinator for the ETES 3D Film and Photography Camp project.

CommHand3

Alien Choreography: Before the advent of CGI, film aliens were either animatronic models, or actors dressed in creature suits. Known as an alien specialist in Hollywood, Caprice is best known as the Hands of E.T. Not only did she instruct the operators of the creature in Mime & Physical Characterization, and pose for the famous E.T. poster, but she wore latex E.T. gloves and lay at the creature’s feet with her hands raised into frame for 90% of the film.

Henry J Thomas Jr. has this to say about Caprice’s work during British ITV interview from Happy 30th Birthday E.T:

“One of the best things that Spielberg did — something that really helped my performance — was to hire mime Caprice Rothe.”

Mitchell Suskin, the Visual Effects Supervisor for E.T. and Cocoon has this to say about Caprice’s work:

“On both productions I hired Caprice Rothe to work with us to develop a unique sense of movement for “alien” creatures involved, and to help direct that movement… Working under great pressure, and with often enigmatic instructions, she demonstrated great talent as both a performer and a teacher, and great patience as a human being.

On E.T., we gave her a pile of rubber and steel, and ten technicians to pull the levers, and she gave us a living creature. She taught the techs how movement is perceived by an audience, and coached them to work together to make E.T. A believable character. (In fact, once she got the team rehearsed, we often forgot that E.T. was not a real live thing.)

On Cocoon, we asked her to take four petite actresses with a minimum of wardrobe and make-up, and create a unique and recognizable personna through movement. The result was graceful, attractive, and delicate – definitely a new concept for science fiction…”

 

I first saw this photo on the British ITV Documentary: Happy 30th Birthday E.T. Thank you all who helped send me a copy. And to whoever kept the Polaroid.
 

Leave a Reply


*