Jurassic Park Rejected Jim Carrey, Jackie Chan & More( Photo Credit – Facebook )
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The Jurassic franchise has been a part of our growing days. Watching the dinosaurs and humans coming together to save and protect the animal world and humanity is probably one of the most beautiful storylines. Over the years, we have seen many actors leading these films. After Jurassic World Dominion (2022), which starred Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard, the new film, Jurassic World Rebirth, featured Scarlett Johansson, Jonathan Bailey, Mahershala Ali, and others.
Johansson, Bailey, and Ali have quite a massive fandom. But other actors were rejected from playing any character in the Jurassic world, despite their fandom and popularity. While some didn’t feel Steven Spielberg’s dinosaur world to be appealing, some were turned down for some other reason. From Jim Carrey to Jackie Chan, here are the three actors who never got a chance to be a part of this franchise. Scroll ahead to know more.
1. Harrison Ford
Steven Spielberg and Harrison Ford previously worked on Indiana Jones, and that is why when he was casting actors for the first Jurassic Park film, he thought of Ford for a character. As per reports, the director wanted him to play Dr. Alan Grant, a brave paleontologist who also has an adventurous side to his character. According to Spielberg, Ford was the perfect fit for the role, but the actor didn’t think so.
In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Steven Spielberg opened up about his conversation with Ford, and said, “Sam does a phenomenal job, but my first choice was Harrison. I went to the art department, and I had them do a photorealistic painting of the T. rex chasing Harrison with two kids, and put Harrison’s face on the character of the archaeologist, and sent the script, the book, and the picture to Harrison. The next day, I got a call, and he said, ‘This is not for me, pal.’ That was the end of the conversation.”
For the unversed, the character Dr. Alan Grant was then played by New Zealand actor Sam Neill. And while Harrison Ford could have done it in a different way, Niell made the character iconic.
2. Jackie Chan
Jackie Chan also worked with Steven Spielberg in The Tuxedo. Although Spielberg served as an executive producer in the movie, in which he played a taxi driver-turned-spy. However, Chan always wanted to work with Spielberg in his Jurassic Park franchise.
In an interview with Black Film, the Karate Kid actor shared, “I also want to do something like Jurassic Park. I want to walk with dinosaurs. This kind of movie is for one audience.” Chan further explained that despite showing his interest in the franchise, The Bridge of Spies director rejected him, citing a probable reason that he didn’t have the right role for him in the Jurassic Park installment. The actor further stated in the same conversation, “He said No! What we like you in is Jackie Chan action. That’s what we like.”
But we think Jackie Chan could have been a great addition to the film franchise.
3. Jim Carrey
Apparently, Jim Carrey was one of the actors who had auditioned for the role of Ian Malcolm in Jurassic Park. This audition happened before Carrey could make his name in the industry with his breakout role in films like Ace Ventura: Pet Detective in 1994. Talking about Carrey’s audition, the casting director of the Jurassic Park movie (1993), Janet Hirshenson, shared that they were impressed with his performance until Jeff Goldblum stepped into the arena.
Janet Hirshenson said (via SYFY Wire), “We auditioned Jim Carrey for Malcolm and then Goldblum came in and, of course, blew me away. He’s Goldblum, nobody’s like him. I think Steven pretty quickly also [knew] that was the one.” According to the casting director, Carrey really wanted the gig, and even though he had given his all into it and portrayed the character differently, it was Goldblum’s portrayal that fit the role most. She continued to explain, “He was good, it was a totally different way to go. I remember he came in very enthusiastically. But it would have been a little more comedic. Jeff was comedic in his dry, Jeff Goldblum-y sort of way, anyway, but yeah, it becomes a different way to go. But by that time, I think we were pretty much geared into Jeff Goldblum.”
Well, Jim Carrey is known for his comedic timing, so probably the casting director was right that if Carrey had done the role, he would have made it a bit more comedic, which might not have gone well with the storyline. However, after losing the role, Carrey went on to do other projects that gave him his due success.
Well, did you know about these actors who got rejected from playing different characters in the Jurassic franchise? Let us know.
