Scarlett Johansson revealed in an interview with Vanity Fair that she spent years hoping to be part of the Jurassic Park franchise. Whenever news of a new Jurassic Park movie popped up, she’d send it to her agents, saying, “Hey, I’m available.” Her dream is finally coming true with this summer’s Jurassic World Rebirth, where she stars alongside Jonathan Bailey and Mahershala Ali.
I was really crazy about the [original] film, and I slept in a ‘Jurassic Park’ pup tent in my bedroom I shared with my sister for a year, Anytime the trades would report a new ‘Jurassic’ movie, I would forward to my agents like, ‘Hey, I’m available.’
Johansson spoke about how much she has always loved the franchise.
While Johansson was doing reshoots for her Marvel movie Black Widow in 2020 at Pinewood Studio in Britain, Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard were next door filming Jurassic World Dominion. Johansson remembered telling her team, “Show me the sets! I want to participate!” She was eager to be part of the action.
Johansson eventually got the chance to meet with Steven Spielberg, the director of the original Jurassic Park and its 1997 sequel, The Lost World: Jurassic Park. They were supposed to talk about future projects, but Johansson couldn’t stop thinking about the Jurassic franchise.
I hadn’t really sat with him and talked about work, and we spent hours just catching up and chatting, and then at some point, many hours into it, he was like, ‘Wait, we’re supposed to talk about “Jurassic.” Do I hear you’re a huge superfan?’, I said, ‘It is actually true. I’m confirming. I’m a huge superfan.’
She remembered,
Johansson didn’t mention to Spielberg that she had slept in a Jurassic Park tent for an entire year, worried he might think she was a “weird stalker.” But looking back, she wishes she had shared it with him.
Obviously with all the ‘Avengers’ stuff you meet so many fans who are profoundly moved by the characters and the world that you’re a part of. I get it. It’s always wonderful to meet people like that. I probably should have just told him. But I was like, ‘Just be professional. Don’t seem desperate. Don’t mention the tent.’
Johansson explained,
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Johansson now stars in Jurassic World Rebirth as Zora Bennet, a former mercenary leading a team of scientists on a mission to find dinosaur blood that could help cure heart disease. She had told ComicBook.com that she spent 10 years trying to get into the dinosaur franchise, even telling her agents she would be okay with dying in “the first five minutes.”
Jurassic World: Rebirth will be released nationwide on July 2 by Universal Pictures.