Newcomer Joel Courtney on Super 8 and His Steven Spielberg Geek-Out Moment
![Newcomer Joel Courtney on Super 8 and His Steven Spielberg Geek-Out Moment](http://movieline.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/joelcourtney300-120x120.jpg?w=120&h=120&crop=1)
If J.J. Abrams' nostalgic summer sci-fi adventure Super 8 is intentionally evocative of producer (and Abrams mentor) Steven Spielberg's E.T. (1982), then 15-year-old newcomer Joel Courtney is its Elliott, the young, sensitive boy hero caught in the middle of an otherworldly mystery. It's a big role to hang on the shoulders of a newcomer -- one who won the part after visiting L.A. in hopes of landing a modest commercial gig -- but, as it turns out, the Idaho native now has bigger career goals in his sights.