Life finds a way to bring chaos to the table, especially when you’re Jurassic Park veteran Jeff Goldblum. With a wry grin, an air of authority and a one-liner or two ready for the room, the actor’s portrayal of Dr. Ian Malcolm has always walked a line between fear and laughter in the Michael Crichton-based saga. While we know quite a bit about Jurassic World Dominion, what’s new to us is the fact that Jeff Goldblum actually had an entire book of improvised lines on hand during the shoot, ready to be deployed at a moment’s notice.
The continued coverage of Empire’s Jurassic World Dominion issue has revealed another gem from behind the scenes of co-writer/director Colin Trevorrow’s conclusion to the Jurassic World trilogy. Part of those festivities was an interview with Goldblum, who readily admitted to having a book of improvisations. Consider the following example from The Book of Goldblum:
I have a book! Oh boy, I have a ton of them. I’ll just tell you one… We’re on a computer trying to fix something or other, and somebody says, ‘Uh-oh, it’s started flashing Error 99.’ And before Mamoudou [Athie]’s character comes in and explains, I was gonna slip in, very quickly, the line, ‘Error 99? Is it Barbara Feldon?’ Now, Barbara Feldon was an agent in Get Smart, a television series from 1962 or something, who played Agent 99. So, a lot of my ideas have to do with references that are totally irrelevant and of no interest or amusement to anybody who could possibly be watching a movie, and inappropriate to the scene. But it tickled me.
Behold, the famed wit that’s seen Jeff Goldblum ad-lib some very appropriate lines on past sets that make it into various movies he’s starred in. Very few people would try to insert a knowing reference to Get Smart into a scene where, more than likely, dino panic is waiting on the other side of that error message. Then again, this is the same actor who coolly delivered the line, “When you’ve gotta go, you’ve gotta go” during one of Jurassic Park’s most iconic scenes.
Even Jurassic World Dominion's trailer boasted that mixture of deadpan concern and wry dialogue. With the Giganotosaurus making its debut in that very reel of footage, Goldblum’s Dr. Ian Malcolm gets to stare at the dinosaur equivalent of The Joker, merely asking, “Why do they always have to go bigger?”
Just as Jeff Goldblum referenced Jurassic Park in a huge Independence Day ad-lib, we might just hear some other lines inspired by the actor’s resume. No matter if it’s on the script page or from a page out of his own book, we’ll always enjoy the world according to Jeff Goldblum. Especially when that world is now overrun with dinosaurs and shady characters trying to harvest them.
All secrets, threats and improvisations will be revealed on June 10th when Jurassic World Dominion stomps into a theater near you. If you dare try to measure up the competition for that weekend’s box office, the schedule of 2022 movie releases is waiting. But before you ask, no, we don’t have King Kong waiting in there for you to discover. (Remember when Ian Malcolm name-dropped the giant gorilla?) However, HBO Max is the next place you should probably head to, as at the time of this writing, the original Jurassic Park trilogy is available for streaming.
