- Jurassic Park was released in 1993
- There is a big age gap between its leads
- The film's stars look back on this now
Jurassic Park's leads weren't initially aware of just how many years there were between them! Laura Dern and Sam Neill will appear on-screen together again in Jurassic World Dominion, and the two stars recently discussed this concerning age difference.
Neill says age gap was considered "completely appropriate"
Neill, who plays "Alan Grant" in the franchise, is nearly two decades older than Dern! While he's now 74 years old, the actress portraying "Ellie Sattler" is only 55. Even though there is a substantial difference in years between them, Neill told the Sunday Times that back when Jurassic Park came out in 1993, it was considered "a completely appropriate age difference for a leading man and lady."
The actor then went on to say that he later found himself included on a list that featured "people like Harrison Ford and Sean Connery acting with much younger people." That's when it dawned on Neill just how big the age gap between himself and Dern actually is— a realization which he said took him aback! Dern also commented on the topic, admitting she didn't see the issue at the time either.
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"Well, it felt completely appropriate to fall in love with Sam Neill," she said. The actress credited her and Neill's return to their characters during "a moment of cultural awareness about the patriarchy" with realizing that the fact they were so far apart in age was in fact an issue. Jurassic World Dominion, which is released in June, will also see Jeff Goldblum return, reuniting the franchise's original trio.
