The end of an era is coming for Bryce Dallas Howard, as Jurassic World Dominion is months away from release and will wrap up this era of the Jurassic Park franchise. For now though, Howard has chosen to reminisce about her time working on the film series. As such, she revealed her favorite thing from being part of the long-running, dinosaur-packed franchise, and why actors specifically should relate to it.
Bryce Dallas Howard opened up about working on the Jurassic World movies in the email newsletter for her production company Nine Muses, specifically what she loved about working on the trilogy. Howard’s favorite thing about doing the film might surprise viewers, as she said:
My favorite thing about working on a Jurassic movie is getting to work with animatronic dinosaurs and puppeteers. It’s such an ancient art form that when applied brilliantly, continues to tell stories in profound ways. Giant movies like Jurassic World and Star Wars represent the intersection of thousands and thousands of years of different art forms, and it’s exhilarating to be part of something both timeless and groundbreaking.
Much like with the original Jurassic Park films, using animatronics was an integral part of making the Jurassic World series more grounded. Despite film technology continuing to advance, Bryce Dallas Howard loved working with practical effects, and the first look at Howard in trouble and hiding from a dinosaur in a swamp during Dominion drove that home. The actress couldn’t stop raving about other practical effects used to make the character-dinosaur interaction so realistic, also noting that why "theatre lovers" will get how all this stuff helps the films to come to life.
When there isn’t an animatronic dinosaur, there are mocap (motion capture) artists and performers in suits who get to embody creatures and beings of all universes (see an example from Jurassic World below). In addition to acting as a reference for visual effects and an eye line for actors, these performers bring so much of the energy that is needed for a scene and make it so we can feel the threat of the dinosaur. For all my theatre lovers reading this, remember those acting classes where you had to pretend to be an animal? That’s what this is — multiplied by one hundred — and it’s epic.
Equating her Jurassic World experience with those of her theatre days was a spot-on comparison, as animatronics and stand-ins carry the same weight. It’s all about the imagination and allowing the actor to get lost in the moment. A key component of the films is believing the actors and dinosaurs are in the same physical space, so practical effects were essential to making that connection.
With Jurassic World Dominion serving as the current trilogy’s finale, Bryce Dallas Howard and co-star Chris Pratt deal with the effects of Isla Nublar’s destruction as humans and dinosaurs co-exist in the same world. The duo is joined by OG Jurassic Park stars Jeff Goldblum, Laura Dern and Sam Neill, as seen in the latter two stars’ return in a first look (Goldblum previously cameoed in Fallen Kingdom). Director Colin Trevorrow made sure to balance the onscreen time of new and legacy characters to create some old-school-new school tension. As seen in the first trailer, everyone bands together to save the planet, but it leaves more questions than answers about the final film. Despite Dominion being the finale, producers (and fans) aren’t ready to see the beloved dino-centric franchise end as they teased there are more Jurassic stories to come.
We still have a little while to wait before Jurassic World reaches its finale, as Jurassic World Dominion will arrive in theaters on June 10. Along with Dominion, there are a ton more upcoming movies set for release in 2022, so if you've been planning a return to the theater, there are plenty of choices.
