Few movie scenes actually make it from page to screen completely intact. Jeff Goldblum recently revealed one way that he changed a key scene in the original Jurassic Park which had a significant impact on the film as a whole. Speaking with Jake Hamilton, Entertainment Reporter for FOX 32 in Chicago and the cohost of our ReelBlend podcast, the actor revealed that he actually suggested a change to Steven Spielberg to the famous T. Rex scene that saw his character, Ian Malcolm, act a bit more heroically than had been previously planned. Apparently, the entire scene had been created in stop motion animation for the cast to watch before they filmed it themselves, and after seeing what he was supposed to do, Goldblum wanted to try something different. According to Goldblum...
And then we acted it out. I kind of tweaked my part and said, 'Hey, instead of just running away like the lawyer does, in fear, abject fear, can I do something kind of brave and heroic?' I break it open and I said, 'Let me break open that thing.' I said, 'I'm going to distract this thing while you save those kids!' It was [my idea]. Steven Spielberg is a genius and it was his idea finally to include this stupid idea of mine. And then do something with it, too. But I kind of had a feeling for that, yeah.
Some directors are more collaborative than others and Jeff Goldblum recently revealed that prior to shooting the scene with the rest of the cast, he suggested a change for his character that wouldn't involve him running away from the T-Rex. The scene in question is the first major scene of peril for the main cast of Jurassic Park. The T.Rex breaks out of its pen and begins to destroy the jeeps that have taken everybody on the tour. At first, Sam Neill's Dr. Grant distracts the dinosaur so that everybody else can get away, but then Dr. Malcolm gets the beast to chase him so that Grant can rescue the children in the overturned jeep. Malcolm gets seriously injured, which was apparently always the plan for the character, just not in that way or for that reason. It's a scene that can be read several ways, but it's certainly one of the most memorable and interesting sequences in the original film, and apparently Jeff Goldblum had a hand in it.
It's hard to imagine the scene playing out any differently now. Jeff Goldblum's character became a fan favorite following the first Jurassic Park, and he would go on to reprise his role in The Lost World: Jurassic Park, before rejoining the franchise in the upcoming Jurassic World sequel. It's difficult to see his legacy panning out in quite the same way if we all saw Ian Malcolm run in fear the same way the lawyer who gets eaten does. By seeing Malcolm take this risk, and nearly getting killed in the process, he has a hero moment and becomes one of the movie's more exciting characters, which as Goldblum tells Jake Hamilton, was the point. Check out the scene in question below.
We've known for a while that Jeff Goldblum will be returning to the franchise that he had a personal impact on in Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom. Back in the spring of 2017, a report revealed the actor would have a role in the movie, and more recently Goldblum said that the role will be small like "a little garnish" to the film. The first trailer revealed more about what Ian Malcolm is up to these days. Dressed in his signature black attire, the character appears in front of a panel of individuals considering what to do with the dinosaurs that are still living on Isla Nublar. A volcano is coming to wreak havoc, and we already know Claire Dearing and Owen Grady will attempt to rescue them. Regardless, it seems as if Dr. Ian Malcolm will be on the other side of this particular issue, as early looks at the movie have him intoning,
These creatures were here before us, and if we're not careful, they're going to be here after us.
Some things have changed since the original Jurassic Park movie, and some things have not.
During the same press day, Bryce Dallas Howard revealed that Claire Dearing probably would not get along with Ian Malcolm thanks to their differing viewpoints. She noted:
Well, she wouldn't like Doctor Malcolm, because they have differing opinions. I mean, maybe she would like him, but maybe she would, like, wrestle with him.
So, it doesn't sound like the main characters will really be spending any ample time with Dr. Ian Malcolm this time around. Instead, Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard will appear in the flick opposite Justice Smith, Rafe Spall, Daniella Pineda, James Cromwell and more. Cromwell will have a connection to the original franchise, as well, as he is expected to play a character who was the business partner of the character Richard Attenborough played in Jurassic Park.
You can take a look at the cast list for the upcoming sequel, which is anticipated to be a part of a trilogy, and the already announced third movie is expected to be directed by Colin Trevorrow. Jeff Goldblum isn't expected to pop up a whole lot this time around, but hey, there may always be more room for him in Jurassic World 3. Maybe for Laura Dern, as well. You'll be able to see Ian Malcolm return when Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom hits theaters in the U.S. on June 22.
