Josh O'Connor Shares Steven Spielberg's Late-Night Text Meant for 1 Other Recipient

Q: How did a mistaken text from Spielberg unlock the most pivotal scene in his new blockbuster 'Disclosure Day'?

A mistaken late-night text from Steven Spielberg gave Josh O’Connor the emotional key to the scene. The message read, “The door is on the latch, just push,” and O’Connor took it as a metaphor for his character’s bottled-up feelings finally breaking open. O’Connor has said he was struggling to find the right way into a major emotional moment in *Disclosure Day* after discussing it with Spielberg. When the text arrived, he interpreted it as precise acting guidance: his character had already built up the emotion, and only needed a small final push for the release to happen. He later said that idea “unlocked the whole scene” for him. The twist was that Spielberg had not meant to send the message to his actor at all. It was reportedly intended for his wife, Kate Capshaw, as an ordinary household note. When O’Connor thanked him the next day, Spielberg explained the mix-up, turning the episode into a running joke on set. Even so, the accidental message had a real creative effect. By reframing the scene as an emotional door already half-open, it helped O’Connor access the vulnerability Spielberg wanted for one of the film’s most pivotal moments. In O’Connor’s telling, what looked like a mundane mistake became one of the most useful pieces of direction he received on the film.

Q: Is 'Disclosure Day' the final chapter in Spielberg's alien trilogy started with 'Close Encounters' and 'E.T.'?

Yes — in Spielberg’s own framing, *Disclosure Day* is the closing installment of an informal alien trilogy with *Close Encounters of the Third Kind* and *E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial*. The key distinction is that this is not a direct narrative trilogy with shared characters or a continuing plot. Reviews and background reporting describe *Disclosure Day* as a new, standalone story: a conspiracy thriller about UFO secrecy, disclosure, and empathy in a fearful age. It is not a sequel to either earlier film in the conventional sense. But Spielberg has reportedly described it as a “summation” of those three films, and several critics have echoed that reading, calling it a companion piece or the final chapter in a thematic trilogy. In that sense, *Disclosure Day* revisits the same core Spielberg concerns — wonder, fear of the unknown, human contact with extraterrestrials, and the moral test of empathy — while updating them for a darker, more paranoid era. So the best answer is that *Disclosure Day* is the final chapter of a thematic Spielberg alien trilogy, not the third part of a literal story trilogy. That fits both the reporting around the film and the way critics have positioned it alongside *Close Encounters* and *E.T.*.

3 articles · Updated · NPR · Jun 10

Josh O'Connor said one of the best acting notes he has received came from a late-night text Steven Spielberg accidentally sent to him instead of his wife.
Steven Spielberg was messaging during production of his summer blockbuster when the note reached O'Connor by mistake, turning a private message into advice the actor says stayed with him.
The anecdote surfaced as O'Connor promoted 'Disclosure Day,' offering a glimpse of Spielberg's off-set communication with actors.

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NPR21h ago

Josh O'Connor received accidental late-night text from Steven Spielberg meant for his wife

Ahmedabad Mirror21h ago

Steven's missed text that helped

AOL21h ago

Steven Spielberg Accidentally Sent Josh O'Connor a Text Message Meant for Wife Kate Capshaw While Filming “Disclosure Day” - AOL

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How did a mistaken text from Spielberg unlock the most pivotal scene in his new blockbuster 'Disclosure Day'?

Is 'Disclosure Day' the final chapter in Spielberg's alien trilogy started with 'Close Encounters' and 'E.T.'?

Has Spielberg created a new sci-fi classic or just a chaotic echo of his past alien films?

Josh O'Connor Shares Steven Spielberg's Late-Night Text Meant for 1 Other Recipient

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