Over 30 years after the release of Jurassic Park, Jeff Goldblum has finally explained why Steven Spielberg changed elements of his character from Michael Crichton’s novel. Goldblum plays Dr. Ian Malcolm in Spielberg’s seminal 1993 movie. As well as uttering the famous lines, “Life, uh, finds a way,” and “That is one big pile of sh*t,” Ian is the reason Alan (Sam Neill), Ellie (Laura Dern), and the two children survive the iconic T. rex attack. In the novel, Ian Malcom acts as Crichton’s mouthpiece to the events unfolding in the park. But Spielberg’s movie makes a noticeable change to the character.
Sitting down with Vanity Fair, Jeff Goldblum re-watched some of his most beloved movies, including Jurassic Park. Whilst re-watching the T. Rex attack, Goldblum revealed that Steven Spielberg initially wanted the scene to play out like it did in the book. Rather than using a flare to lure the T. Rex away, Ian simply ran to save his own life, abandoning Alan and the rest of the tour group. But that didn’t sit right with Goldblum, especially as it would have copied the death of the lawyer who was famously eaten by Rexy while hiding on a toilet. The actor explained:
“Mr. Spielberg and I were talking, and he was so generous. We came up with this idea that, instead of in the book, as we got to talking, the lawyer, as you remember… goes to the bathroom and [the T. Rex] eats him off the toilet. And then [Ian], he goes ‘I’m getting out of here too.’ I think it came up in discussion where we said, ‘Hey, what if instead of being repetitive with the lawyer, maybe my character… has a little bit of gumption and self-sacrificing heroism in him.'”
Jeff Goldblum Ran for His Life from… Nothing
The visual effects in Steven Spielberg’s Jurassic Park hold up so well today because the director blended practical effects with computer-generated imagery. In a time when hundred-million dollar superhero movies feature questionable CGI, the dinosaurs in Jurassic Park still look unbelievably realistic, 31 years later. However, that doesn’t mean that every dinosaur on screen was achieved using practical effects.
During the interview, Jeff Goldblum reflected on actually shooting the scene, and recalls “running away from nothing,” with a flare in his hand. In the scene, Ian Malcolm runs with a flare to lure the T. Rex away from the tour, as he sprints through the drenching rain. Hilariously, one of the main things the actor remembers from shooting the scene is Spielberg being kind enough to heat up the water in the rain machine before shooting. Goldblum said:
“So, there was nothing at this point but CGI. So I’m running away from nothing. ‘Hey, chase me, chase me.’ And, like that, the rain machine, turn on the rain and you get wet. There are other movies I’ve done where they do that, and boy, they don’t warm up that water so well.”