Ex. Jeff Goldblum talks returning to Ian Malcolm & more from The Grandmaster

Last Updated on August 5, 2021

Listen, I think that when the sky starts falling and the world closes its doors on civilization, we can all move on to the afterlife (or sweet darkness, your preference) with one resounding truth: Jeff Goldblum is awesome. Whether he's peeling off flesh in THE FLY, flying a spaceship with Will Smith, going hipster in Portlandia, going artsy with Wes Anderson, melting aliens on Planet Sakaar, or, most famously, laying shirtless and sweaty after a run-in with a T-Rex, his smooth, humorous groove and playful banter is more than enough to remind us of humanity's potential for greatness. Maybe I'm overselling it, but Goldblum in anything is a bonus and immediately sparks the interest level, no matter what it is. Now, twenty-five years after joining Steven Spielberg in the game-changing franchise starter JURASSIC PARK, Goldblum is returning to the role that made him a celebrity meme and is ready to bring the Debbie Downer to anyone looking to profit off of genetically-engineered dinosaurs (again) in JURASSIC WORLD: FALLEN KINGDOM. I spoke to Jeff a few years ago at CinemaCon for INDEPENDENCE DAY: RESURGENCE and he was, as he would say, a delight, and talking to him on the phone was just as rewarding. We discussed his return to Ian Malcom (and how he reacts to the meme-ification of that character), the potential for more of The Grandmaster in the MCU, working on Portlandia and, belive it or not, his upcoming album!

Jeff: Paul, Paul, Paul. Is this Paul?

Paul: This is Paul from JoBlo.com. How are you?

Jeff: I’m thrilled to talk to you, how are you, thanks for doing this. What’s your last name, Paul?

Paul: My last name is Shirey.

Jeff: Shirey?

Paul: Yes sir.

Jeff: Hey, nice to meet you, Mr. Shirey. And, JoBlo, I’ve talked to JoBlo before!

Paul: Yeah, we talked for Independence Day back at CinemaCon a couple years ago…

Jeff: It was you, then, yes, I remember the whole experience very distinctly…

Paul: You said that you were gonna play JoBlo, so if we ever get around to writing a movie you’re done, you’re in…

Jeff: I hope so. I gotta beat out that Paul Rudd or whoever else is in contention for JoBlo the live-action…

Paul: It’s Jeff Goldblum. It’s your role. It’s yours to lose.

Jeff: Okay, thank you. Thank you very much. Better luck next time, suckers! That’s the name of my autobiography, the new edition of my autobiography [laughs]

Paul: So, Jeff, you have returned to Ian Malcolm…

Jeff: Yes!

Paul: …what took you so long?

Jeff: Wooow, I don’t know, but time is a funny thing and I feel like I’m right on schedule. Y’know, I left the story where I left it with me and Julianne Moore and our sweet, sweet daughter, just blossoming into her full empowerment and freedom. And, I’ll bet I’ve been doing mysterious and surprising things all these years that have kept me active…

Paul: YOU certainly have…

Jeff: …I’ll bet, well, Ian Malcolm, too. We don’t know much about it. But, then Ian Malcolm is asked, as we know, to put in his two cents about this current dilemma and there I am.

Paul: Let me ask you this; are we gonna see you running and screaming as Ian Malcolm again? I think that’s really what we want…

Jeff: Ah, that’s funny. Well, I didn’t do much-I was restrained about the screaming all the times we saw me, but I was a pretty good runner and I’m running better than ever. I’ll relish any running I can do, yes, yes, yes. I’m faster than ever, I think I’m breaking records at this point.

Paul: So, it’s been 25 Years since Jurassic Park…

Jeff: Yeah…Oh, my God, a quarter of a century!

Paul: …I’m telling you…One of the things that stands out is the Jeff Goldblum/Ian Malcolm memes; everything from someone painting you from that brilliant cascade of Goldblum laid out for everybody to see after your leg was broken. It’s now paintings and Funko Pops! and everything else. What does that do to you? How do you feel about it?

Jeff: I get a big kick out of it. People come up to me and show me their tattooes and it’s me in all manners of undress and plastique. Yeah, I get a kick out of it, I like it. I know it’ll come and go quickly, but it’s delightful and people are very sweet and I like taking pictures with them and holding the little doll and sometimes they ask me “make a little video” where I drop water on the back of their hand and explain Chaos Theory. I do it all. I do it all happily. I’m nothing if not amenable.

Paul: So, how easy was it to slide back into Ian Malcolm? Was it a simple thing just to get back into the Ian Malcolm mindset for this?

Jeff: I slid back into it like I did when I had my slip n’ slide when I was a kid. It was like a watery length of plastic that carried me long on a delightful ride. And, besides that it was challenging, because I didn’t want to let anybody down, or myself, and to continue it the way that was-continued some sort of amusement and smarty-pants remarks that related to our real life, that’s always been interesting to me. Ever since the Michael Crichton book, he laid out a good map. So, I wanted to do well. So, I worked on it. I’m nothing if not conscientious. I worked on it and then started to get some ideas about my little scene and speech and called up the wonderful Colin Trevorrow who wrote it, who wrote and directed the last one, and he was in London where they were shooting and I was in Los Angeles, but we talked for a couple of hours. He was so generous and collaborate and he entertained a couple of my ideas and included them-just little tweaks in the material-but we talked about being unambiguously pro-science and of course anti-greed and anti-militarism and all that kind of thing and the most concise and musical and lovely and interesting and colorful way that I could put it and then I continued that with J.A. Bayona when I got to London a few days before I shot and he had passionate, very focused ideas and it changed some more and the whole thing became a mélange, a nice compote, a lovely bouillabaisse and a gumbo, as spicy as we could make it, but still digestible and then I got to the set one day and there we go! I slid like a slip n’ slide! [laughs]

Paul: That’s so awesome [laughs] Hey, so we also got to see you this past year in a Marvel Movie as The Grandmaster-

Jeff: Yes, Taika Waititi, Oh my God!

Paul: -I can’t imagine that we won’t see him again. Would you return to The Grandmaster? Is that a place you’d like to go back to, just as you’ve returned as Ian?

Jeff: Yes, I sure would if they asked-if I could perform any humble service to the ongoing stories, in all their beautiful facets, yeah!  Especially if I could have an experience like with Taika Waititi, he was brilliant. We improvised so much and laughed our heads off. But, Kevin Feige and Louis D’Esposito and Victoria Alonso, the brain trust and the creative team at the head of the Marvel pyramid are really delightful, very sweet people, and creative and high integrity. They want to make popular movies, but very good movies, and they have new and creative experimental ways of doing it and I just had a grand time. I’d love to do anything with them again, sure.

Paul: So, last year Portlandia closed its doors as well-

Jeff: Yes, yes-

Paul: And you contributed a lot to that show, especially my favorite skit, “The Pull-Out King”-

Jeff: Ohh, I love “The Pull-Out King.”

Paul: Why can’t we get a Pull-Out King show? I would watch the hell out of a Pull-Out King show if that could happen…

Jeff: Definitely! Or a Pull-Out King movie! A franchise! A series’ of Pull-Out King. I think it’s a tent-pole. Smells like a tent-pole to me.

Paul: If I interview Feige anytime soon, I’ll plant that idea in his head. I think that should be part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Jeff: There you go. Definitely. The Pull-Out King. Oh, definitely, definitely, definitely. But, they’re great. I love that whole series and Fred [Armisen] and Carrie [Brownstein] are just two of my favorite people and performers. And, Jon Krisel, who directed, is quite delightful and brilliant. I had a great time improvising with those guys.

Paul: It’s such a rewatchable show.

Jeff: Yeah!

Paul: I’ve probably watched every episode at a minimum of three to four times.  Of every season, it’s amazing. You could put it on anytime and watch it-

Jeff: I know, it’s like a record. You can keep listening to it, I know.

Paul: So, speaking of records, you also have an album coming out…

Jeff: I sure do, with Decca Records. We just did it at the Capitol Records building live, so it’ll feel like you’re at a party, I think, when you listen to it. I play with some great musicians and some great guest singers. I think it’s gonna be pretty cute. I had a great time doing it. Y’know, we play a weekly jazz gig at Rockwell every Wednesday in Los Angeles. We’re gonna play Arroyo Seco June 23rd and we may internationally and nationally tour in support of this album. I think that’s gonna be fun.

Paul: That’s so cool. You are like the busiest guy. And, you’re hitting everything!

Jeff: I know, well, it’s so fun. There’s abundance everywhere. I’ve got these two little boys, a three-year-old and a one-year-old, a beautiful wife, and every spare moment that I can I enjoy with them.

Paul: Jeff, you are super awesome. It is an absolute delight to talk to you any and every time I get to talk to you-

Jeff: Thank you, my friend. Hotel Artemis, too! Look for that with me and Jodie Foster, I loved her. And, this interesting movie called The Mountain. Oh boy! With me and Tye Sheridan. A very kind of experimental and interesting, artful little offering. But, lovely to talk to you, I’ll see you soon, I hope.

Paul: Yes, absolutely. Thank you, Jeff, so much.

Jeff: Thank you, my friend, I appreciate it.

JURASSIC WORLD: FALLEN KINGDOM finds its way into theaters this Friday.