Steven Spielberg had a custom quilt sent to his E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial star Drew Barrymore, jokingly urging her to "cover up" after she posed for Playboy magazine in 1995.
The actress was just seven years old when she starred in the sci-fi classic, and the director took her under his wing as a surrogate daughter. The two have remained close over the years, and when Drew stripped off for an eye-popping Playboy reveal, he decided to have a little fun with it.
He made a special appearance on The Drew Barrymore Show on Monday to celebrate the actress-turned-talk show host's 46th birthday, and recalled how he had a quilt printed with the words, "Cover Up", and delivered to Drew.
And it wasn't the only gift he sent her - he also had a copy of her Playboy issue modified so the star would no longer be exposed.
"Then I sent her the Playboy layout, and I had an artist come over and do paper doll cut out clothes which I glued onto all of the partially exposed photographs, and sent the whole thing back to Drew (and said), 'Now she's dressed!'" he recalled.
Drew responded by dressing up as a nun and posing in front of a church for a trio of "apology" photos, which Steven still has framed on a wall of his home.
The segment ended with Drew expressing her love for Steven and his family for welcoming her with open arms as a youngster, as the filmmaker admitted, "You were my training wheels for fatherhood, Drew."
"I'm so glad," the actress shared, "because there's no way I would be sitting here without you, ever. I love you so much, and thank you."
Before he left, Steven had one request to ask of Drew - urging her to step behind the camera again.
"I want you to direct more, I love (her 2009 feature film directorial debut) Whip It so much...," he smiled. "I just think you're a gifted director and I want to see you do that. You continue to make me so proud, I love you, too. Happy birthday!"
Steven wasn't the only special guest on Monday's show - guest host Savannah Guthrie also welcomed tributes from Cameron Diaz, Gwyneth Paltrow, Chelsea Handler, Jimmy Fallon, Henry Winkler, and Tyra Banks, as well as Drew's ex-husband Tom Green, and the birthday girl's two daughters, Frankie, six, and Olive, eight, who reduced their mum to tears with a video message.
Drew shares her daughters with her third ex-husband, Will Kopelman.
