Laura Dern, who portrays Ellie Sattler in Jurassic Park, labeled the considerable age gap between her character and Dr. Alan Grant, portrayed by Sam Neill, was improper. The movie, directed by Steven Spielberg, came to screen in 1993 and was an instant hit with fans eager to observe dinosaurs being brought to real life, for the first time ever.
The plot follows paleontologists Ellie Sattler and Alan Grant throughout their exploration of a cutting-edge dinosaur theme park, which swiftly transforms into a terrified survival scenario as several dinosaurs was set free from their confines.
Laura Dern didn’t return in The Lost World: Jurassic Park, the movie’s direct sequel released in 1997. However, she made an appearance in a minor part in the 3rd movie of the franchise: Jurassic Park III. Dern’s character, Ellie and Alan were dating each other in the first movie, yet they failed to agree upon the choice of having kids or not.
Source: Universal Pictures
When the third film, Jurassic Park III, was released, fans were surprised to know that Ellie and Alan parted ways, and the former even got married and have kids of her own. Luckily, the pair was on good terms, still being close friends. Dern will repeat her part with the classic Jurassic Park co-stars Sam Neill and Jeff Goldblum in Jurassic World: Dominion, the upcoming movie slated to hit theaters this summer.
Dern discusses her character in the first Jurassic Park in a recent interview with The Times, focusing on the great age gap between her and Sam Neill. She was 23 years old when the film was wrapped, whereas Neill was exactly 20 years older than her. She indicated the significant age gap after Neill remarks, “I amd 20 years older than Laura!” Dern said:
“Which at the time was a completely appropriate age difference for a leading man and lady! It never occurred to me until I opened a magazine and there was an article called ‘Old geezers and gals… Well, it felt completely appropriate to fall in love with Sam Neill. And it was only now, when we returned in a moment of cultural awareness about the patriarchy, that I was, like, ‘Wow! We’re not the same age?’ […] Our age gap in Jurassic Park was completely inappropriate.”
Source: Universal Pictures
Although Ellie is depicted as being in her late 20s, and Alan in his mid-30s, the discrepancy between the real actor and actress who would perform the roles is much greater. And while the film does not specify the exact age of each character, Ellie is definitely recognizably younger than Alan. It’s highly likely that the moviemakers didn’t notice, or simply neglected on purpose that the age gap was somewhat improper, because the film was produced in 1993, a period when people didn’t notice much problematic chemistries between male and female actors on stage.
Despite the fact that Jurassic Park keeps being among the most significant and praised films of all time, it’s evident that not all about it has aged well, no matter what the intent of the filmmakers was. It’s unclear whether Ellie and Alan will reprise their romantic relationship in the forthcoming Jurassic World: Dominion, but based on Jurassic Park III, it it appears that the two are content to be friends only. Dern’s remark serves as a timely reminder that even great films like Jurassic Park can contain themes that would be unacceptable if filmed today.
Watch the trailer for Jurassic World Dominion here:
