Additional Coverage:
- Laura Dern says an awkward moment on set acting with fake dinosaurs made her worried ‘Jurassic Park’ would flop (businessinsider.com)
Even Stars Had Their Doubts on the “Jurassic Park” Set
Even cinematic legends have moments of doubt, and it seems the set of Steven Spielberg’s groundbreaking 1993 blockbuster, “Jurassic Park,” was no exception. Laura Dern, who famously portrayed paleobotanist Ellie Sattler, recently shared a humorous anecdote revealing that even she and her esteemed co-stars initially questioned Spielberg’s vision for the then-revolutionary film.
“Jurassic Park” is renowned for its pioneering use of CGI, which brought incredibly realistic dinosaurs to the silver screen and irrevocably changed visual effects in Hollywood. However, while filming, the cast wasn’t privy to these yet-to-be-created marvels.
Dern recounted a particular moment early in production that left the cast scratching their heads. “Day one, when we were supposed to hear a distant, faint sound that could be the T-Rex,” Dern told Business Insider, “and we all had to listen to the sound at the same moment, Sir Richard Attenborough [who played park creator John Hammond] said, ‘We’re going to need a cue of some kind, there has to be something ominous about something in the distance and we’re not sure we heard it,’ and Steven said, ‘Don’t worry, don’t worry.'”
Then came Spielberg’s unique solution. “The camera rolled, and suddenly, with a megaphone in the middle of that moment, Steven sounded exactly like this, [lamely] ‘Rooarrrr… Rooaaarrr,'” Dern continued.
“And Sir Richard looked at me and was like, ‘Oh my god, I’m not sure about this!’ We had no idea.”
Despite the initial on-set befuddlement, Dern admitted that all doubts vanished the moment she saw the finished film. Recalling a private screening with Spielberg, Jeff Goldblum, and Sam Neill, Dern described the experience: “We watched the movie together… And we were beside ourselves.
Popcorn was flying everywhere. I was grabbing onto Steven, terrified.
Mind blown.”
“Jurassic Park” went on to gross nearly $1 billion globally in its initial theatrical run and launched a massively successful franchise. It seems Spielberg’s “Rooarrr” eventually translated into cinematic history. Mind blown, indeed.