"Disclosure Day" director Steven Spielberg on aliens: "I absolutely think that they have been here, and they are here."

June 7, 2026 / 10:05 AM EDT

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It's one thing to watch "Close Encounters of the Third Kind" in a theater. Watching it with Steven Spielberg? That's a master class. Viewing a scene with Richard Dreyfuss, the conditions of filming came back to him: "It was, like, 95° in Mobile, Alabama, and, like, 80% humidity. I remember that!" he laughed.Roy Neary (Richard Dreyfuss), haunted by a mysterious vision following an alien encounter, puts two and two together when he sees a TV news report from Devil's Tower, Wyoming – information that is first revealed to the audience via Spielberg's widescreen composition, information revealed very slowly, and effectively."Right there you say, Wait a second, did I see what I think I saw?" said Spielberg. "And then, who are you gonna watch? Are you gonna watch the [TV] screen, or are you gonna watch the actor? Richard's great, but you're watching the [TV] screen now."Watch: Steven Spielberg gives commentary on a scene from "Close Encounters of the Third Kind" (Video)

Steven Spielberg watches scene from "Close Encounters of the Third Kind"