Steven Spielberg brought Jurassic Park to life in 1993, and with it, helped revitalize the world's curiosity and love for dinosaurs. The first film made over a billion dollars and since then, it has become a huge part of pop culture. Spielberg only manned the helm of the first two films, but has remained an influence over the series. The third Jurassic World is currently in production and the animated series Camp Cretaceous will soon be coming to Netflix.
Inspired by a Michael Crichton book by the same name, the Jurassic movies have been dazzling and terrifying audiences for over two decades, but there is so much more to know than what is seen on the big screen. Here is a list of 10 behind-the-scenes facts about the popular dinosaur films.
Harrison Ford Turned Down A Lead Role
The Jurassic Park franchise has had their eye on a particular actor for a long time. Harrison Ford was offered the lead role of Dr. Alan Grant in the first film back in the early 90's. Ford reportedly turned it down because it didn't feel right for him. Sam Neil was later cast as the prickly but heroic paleontologist.
Over a decade later, there were rumors that Harrison Ford was asked again to star in Jurassic World. Things progressed further this time and he was slated to lead the blockbuster film, but unfortunately, he left the project.
Ian Malcolm's Book Is In Jurassic World
Jeff Goldblum did not make an appearance in Jurassic Park III or Jurassic World, but it doesn't mean that he wasn't still there in a way. Ian Malcolm's book "God Creates Dinosaurs" was mentioned in the third film of the Jurassic Park trilogy and dismissed by a character as being "too preachy."
In a "blink and you'll miss it" Easter egg appearance, that same book is featured twice in Jurassic World. It is seen first when Zara is reading it on the train, and it is seen a second time sitting on a desk in the theme park's control room.
The T-Rex Malfunctioned Constantly
Much like the famed "Bruce the Shark" in Jaws, the original Jurassic Park set was not without its dino malfunctions. The Tyrannosaurus Rex model would often stop working and it even lost some teeth during filming.
This was especially a problem in the rain, when the water would short out the electronics and cause the t-rex to turn on and off at random. Producer Kathleen Kennedy is quoted saying, "The t-rex went into the heebie-jeebies sometimes. Scared the crap out of us. We'd be, like, eating lunch, and all of a sudden a t-rex would come alive."
Bryce Dallas Howard Insisted On Wearing Heels
Claire Dearing's footwear sparked endless jokes and criticism after the first Jurassic World film was released. The prim and proper park operations manager started the film in high heels and even when fleeing the vicious, hybrid Indominus Rex, she never took them off. While many fans found this ridiculous, some found it plain impressive.
Bryce Dallas Howard wanted the world to know that this was a specific character choice, and yes, she really did run in them in real life. "I don’t think she would carry flats around with her. I think she’s somebody who could sprint a marathon in heels."
The Movies Actually Helped The Field Of Paleontology
The Jurassic movies inspired the next generation of paleontologists and even led to breakthroughs in the field. Paleontology saw a distinct jump in interest for years after the first film's release as the young people who grew up watching it entered the career field.
Paleontologist Steve Bursette, author of the book The Rise and Fall of the Dinosaurs: A New History of a Lost World thinks that it's one of the best things to ever happened to paleontology. "This newer image of dinosaurs as an active, energetic, and intelligent animal. It was so different than the dinosaurs I read about in my books in school, and that was great."
The T-Rex Was Too Heavy To Move
Beauty comes with a price. Jurassic was known for its incredible work in animatronics and The Lost World featured not only one active animatronic t-rex, but in some scenes they had two! In one particularly infamous moment, a mother and father t-rex fight over poor Eddie (Richard Schiff), tearing him in two. During filming, the crew encountered a problem.
The t-rex models weighed nine tons and were far too heavy to conveniently move, especially more than one of them. The solution that they came up with was to keep them in one place and build the sets around them as much as possible.
Jeff Goldblum Improvised One Of The Most Memorable Moments
It was recently revealed that a movie moment that has inspired countless posters, action figures, memes, and even a statue in London, was entirely improvised. After Ian Malcolm is seriously injured in the t-rex attack, he is seen laying provocatively on his side with his shirt open.
During the Jurassic Park 25th Anniversary Q&A at Universal Studios Hollywood, it was revealed by a laughing John T. Kretchmer that Jeff Goldblum "just did it." It wasn't in the script that he had his shirt open and he didn't ask Spielberg for permission for the sensual pose. He "just did it".
The Cast Got Unforgettable Gifts
Steven Spielberg gave the main cast of the first Jurassic Park five foot long raptor models as a wrap gift. Some of the cast has opened up about just what they did with them. Ariana Richards commented that her daughter Isabella loved it, while Laura Dern said that she used to keep it in her house, but when her young son became scared of it, she had to move it into storage.
The Jurassic World cast wasn't forgotten by director Colin Trevorrow. Chris Pratt went home with one of the Triumph brand motorcycles that he rode in Jurassic World, while another was auctioned off for charity. If only every job gave going away presents this good.
Fun Facts About The Gyrospheres
The Jurassic World gyrosphere cruisers used by the park guests for transportation (and by the Indomonius Rex as a chew-toy) were brainstormed by Colin Trevorrow and Steven Spielberg. Spielberg thought that they needed a way to "get up close and personal" with the dinosaurs.
The gyrospheres are often on display at Universal Studios Hollywood and have no glass shields as they are seen in the movies. The shields were put in with CGI during post production to avoid the cameras and crew members reflecting in the glass.
Original Cast Returning For Jurassic World 3
It has been officially confirmed by multiple cast members that Jurassic World: Dominion will feature many familiar faces. Chris Pratt, Bryce Dallas Howard, and BD Wong were expected to return, but it has since been revealed that Sam Neil, Laura Dern, and Jeff Goldblum will also be included in the threequel.
While it is unknown how exactly they will be involved in the story, Jeff Goldblum confirmed that Ian Malcolm has a prominent role. Ariana Richards and Joe Mazzello have also expressed interest in returning, but have yet to be confirmed. While production has been halted due to the coronavirus quarantine, Jurassic World: Dominion still has a tentative release date for June 11, 2021.