Bryce Dallas Howard reflects on the criticism her character's high heels got in the original Jurassic World. Marking something of a soft reboot of the Jurassic Park franchise, Colin Trevorrow's 2015 hit, Jurassic World, introduced a new cast of characters and a new doomed dinosaur theme park. The film follows Owen Grady (Chris Pratt) and Claire Dearing (Howard) as they attempt to survive after a genetically modified dinosaur escapes containment and wreaks havoc across the park.
While earning generally positive reviews and generating over $1.67 billion at the worldwide box office, one particular element of the film would ultimately prove quite contentious with both critics and fans — Claire's footwear. Claire begins the film serving as Park Operations Manager of Jurassic World, a relatively uptight and business-minded person who eventually becomes one of the film's leading heroes. Many viewers took issue with Claire's high heels, however, especially considering Pratt's character was dressed like a more typical action hero. One critic even called Claire's footwear choice "ridiculous."
In a new interview with Variety ahead of the release of the upcoming third installment, Jurassic World: Dominion, Howard reflects on the controversy Claire's high heels caused, revealing that she stands by the decision. After joking that "nobody noticed" Claire's shoes, Howard explains that the heels were an important aspect of the character and that she always felt "empowered" while on set. Ultimately, she explains, no criticism is going to diminish the experience for her. Check out Howard's full comment below:
“Stepping into the shoes of Claire was also a little challenging because they were heeled, but nobody noticed. To DeWanda’s point, it has everything to do with what the experience is like while you’re making the movie and how either empowered or disempowered you feel. I always felt empowered, every single minute of ‘Jurassic,’ by Colin Trevorrow. And that experience, no comment or observation or analysis can ever take that away from me.”
Jurassic World features a variety of characters running away from dinosaurs, especially towards the end of the film, and Claire does almost all of it in heels and a skirt. While many may have taken issue with this decision, perhaps considering it sexist or unrealistic, it's clear that Howard wouldn't have had it any other way. After all, as Howard explains, the high heels are true to who Claire is as a character in the first film, something that would ultimately evolve in Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom as she becomes an advocate for dinosaur wellbeing.
While Pratt's character often takes center stage when it comes to Jurassic World marketing and trailers, it's Howard's character that ultimately has the more impactful arc, and her shoes are a key part of that. Howard's Claire starts off as someone only concerned about the park's bottom line and is more than willing to exploit dinosaurs for monetary gain, something that her shoes help to represent. Regardless of how fans and critics reacted to Claire's shoes in Jurassic World, Howard's comments affirm that the experience was a positive one for her and it doesn't sound like she would change a thing.
Source: Variety
