Sam Neill is opening up about why he chose to reprise his role as Dr. Alan Grant in Jurassic World: Dominion, over 20 years after he last portrayed the character in Jurassic Park III. Neill is a New Zealand actor who first gained international recognition for his role as Grant in the first Jurassic Park film in 1993. In the film, paleontologist Grant and his paleobotanist girlfriend, Dr. Ellie Sattler (Laura Dern), are invited to the Isla Nublar by Jon Hammond (Richard Attenborough). The carnage that occurs when the dinosaurs get loose changes Grant's perspective and causes him not to endorse Jurassic Park.
In 2001, Neill reprised his role as Grant and was the protagonist of Jurassic Park III. In the years since Jurassic Park, Grant furthered his studies on dinosaurs, particularly on Velociraptors. However, a plane crash lands him stranded in Jurassic Park once more. He survives, and also finds out that his research on the intelligence of Velociraptors was accurate. When the Jurassic Park franchise was revived with Jurassic World in 2015, many anticipated the original stars would reprise their roles. Now, this anticipation is becoming a reality as Neill, Dern, and Jeff Goldblum will all be appearing in the third upcoming film Jurassic World: Dominion.
In an interview with Gizmodo, Neill explained why he chose to reprise his role as Grant after over 20 years. He explained that it was largely director Colin Trevorrow who influenced him to return. Neill appreciated Trevorrow's love and passion for the Jurassic Park characters and his desire to fully integrate them into the Jurassic World series. Also, of course, the idea of being reunited with Dern and Goldblum also appealed to him. Check out his statement below:
Well, mostly his great and abiding affection for those characters and how he wanted them to be completely integrated into the Jurassic World world. And so that persuaded me. And also the idea of hanging out with Jeff and Laura again which, of course, is an attractive one in itself.
Returning to a franchise under a different director after 20 years certainly would take some contemplating. However, Trevorrow proved to Neill that he would do justice to their characters and would provide them with a thorough integration into Jurassic World. This also explains why Dern and Neill didn't return for the first two films. The timing of each original characters' return needed to fit with the storyline. As Neill also explained, he didn't want to be in the film in a cameo role for the sake of simply being in the film. He wanted a role that was interesting and that would effectively allow him to experience the Jurassic World world. Fortunately, Trevorrow was able to sell him on the idea of Jurassic World: Dominion, and now viewers will see him return to the franchise on the big screen on June 10, 2022.
Neill's explanation for his return truly highlights what the Jurassic World series gets right. While there's certainly nothing wrong with cameos, more revivals and reboots should consider bringing back characters/actors in more meaningful ways. Of course, that isn't always possible given schedules and the direction the film chooses to go in. Still, that Trevorrow chose to meet with Neill, displayed his affection for his character, and will give him an equal role with Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard in Jurassic World: Dominion, definitely shows how much he values the stars of the previous franchise. They're not just a five-second scene to try to attract viewers, but are integrated into the film in a way that helps develop their character. All of this makes Neill's return in Jurassic World: Dominion all the more exciting.
Source: Gizmodo
