Janelle Monáe brought E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial to life with her Halloween costume — and won the holiday for her commitment to detail.
“It has been a lifelong dream to bring E.T. to life and to transform into E.T.,” Monáe, 38, exclusively told Us Weekly on Thursday, October 31, while promoting her role as the host of L.A.’s WondaWeen where she partnered with Basil Hayden Bourbon to make spooky cocktails for her guests. “My concept with my version of E.T. was that E.T. comes home. He comes to my home 42 years later after we saw the original.”
Monáe donned Elliott’s (Henry Thomas) iconic red hoodie, jeans and sneakers while riding a bike with E.T. the beloved alien in the basket in one photo she posted for the holiday. The snapshot instantly transported fans back to the same iconic scene from the 1982 Steven Spielberg film.
The actress, however, took it a step further by also getting into an E.T. bodysuit and becoming the memorable extra-terrestrial for her photo shoot. “This is probably one of my more difficult costumes to pull off because E.T. is a little guy. I’m short, but I’m not that short,” Monáe revealed. “So we had to really build the inside out so that I could, you know, be as comfortable as possible.”
She noted, “It’s very tight inside the costume” but she was able to pull it off. Monáe showed off her team’s handy work in a series of Instagram photos, including herself dressed as E.T. in a suit coat and holding a hat.
Monáe played dress up while in the E.T. suit, including adding a floral dress, fur wrap and blonde wig to portray a grandma alien.
“The things that I really was excited about and out about was making the finger glow … making the heart glow, and we have the eyes to blink and move around,” she told Us. “That to me, took it to the next level and all of the pain of getting into it washed away.”
Monáe was proud to embody one of her favorite childhood characters, explaining, “I love what E.T. has to say about coming into each other’s lives and advocating for one another and just two people from two different worlds who love each other and completely transformed each other’s lives.”
The “Age of Pleasure” singer isn’t new to elaborate costumes, telling Us that she’s “always looked at Halloween as a day of self-expression.”
“I like to get really creative and all the ideas that I’ve had lurking in the back of my mind are unleashed on Halloween,” Monáe shared. “I think it also gives the rest of the world permission to step outside of the person that they have to perform every single day and allow themselves to be silly, to be scary, to be angelic as long as you’re not hurting anybody, really exploring what it means to be and exude another spirit in something else.”
This year, Monáe has taken her passion for the spooky season to the next level by hosting L.A.’s WondaWeen bash.
“It’s my arts collective. We have writers, directors, actors, singers, musicians, painters, shapeshifters [and] people who are really pouring into the world, into their communities in very meaningful and artistic ways,” Monáe told Us of WonadaWeen. “Halloween gives us a moment to gather.”
She partnered with AMC Networks and Fear Fest throughout the month to promote all-things Halloween. Monáe was the ultimate host for her Halloween bash on Thursday, partnering with Basil Hayden Bourbon to create specialty cocktails that were both light and spooky to delight partygoers.
“We came up with the Monáe Manor,” she said, which is a nod to her L.A. Haunted Hayride experience that includes a haunted house that is open through Saturday, November 2. (The drink includes Basil Hayden Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey, Lillet Blanc, Aperol and grapefruit peel.)
The E.T. Elixir — which takes the Basil Hayden Kentucky Bourbon Whiskey and adds orange liqueur and lemon — was inspired by Monáe’s Halloween costume this year and it’s a twist on the classic sidecar, according to the actress.
The third cocktail she helped develop is the Spell Bound Smash (see above). “It’s really refreshing,” Monáe said of the drink, which features Basil Hayden Bourbon, Demerara syrup, Angostura bitters, lemon, blackberries and sage and thyme for garnish. “It’s a perfectly balanced sip.”
In addition to festive sips, Monáe promised that the WondaWeen experience will have classic horror movies and skeleton decorations.
“I’m doing a Polaroid style [photo booth] to keep it really vintage. I’m gonna bring some of the haunted house experience from Monáe Manor to WondaWeen, so we’re gonna have characters walking all around, to give you that feel,” she teased. “We have fun people, who are drinking responsibly and create memories that’ll last a lifetime.”
With reporting by Travis Cronin
