Sam Neill is set to return as Dr. Alan Grant in next weekend’s release of Jurassic Park: Dominion, a role he originated in the iconic 1993 film, Jurassic Park. This isn’t the first time the character has returned, however. After sitting out for the sequel, Neill returned in 2001’s Jurassic Park III, a sequel that did decent business at the time of release but has seen mixed notices from fans of the franchise. Neill is looking back at that third film as he prepares for the release of Dominion and while he thinks the film is better than people give it credit for, he is also detailing some difficulties that occurred while making the movie.
During a chat with Gizmodo, the topic turned to Jurassic Park III and he reveals it was a complicated process. The acting said they were “flying by the seat of our pants” as the script was constantly changing and he said that “Bill Macy and Tea Leoni didn’t seem that happy making it.” You can check out his full quote below!
“I enjoyed making it. Joe Johnston was wonderful to work with. Alessandro [Nivola], who plays my number two in the film, he and I got on real well. Bill Macy and Téa Leoni didn’t seem that happy making it, but I had a really good time making it and I actually think it’s a very undervalued film and really worth having a look at again. It finishes rather abruptly, but for all its difficulties—because it became inevitable that we would start shooting on the first of November or whatever it was, and they kept changing the script—we were flying by the seat of our pants a lot of the time. But for all that I think it works real good and that there’s some really good stuff in it.”
In Jurassic Park III, Sam Neill returns as Dr. Alan Grant and he is deceived by a couple, played by William H. Macy and Tea Leoni, who are attempting to rescue their son (Trevor Morgan) after he has been stranded with dinosaurs on Isla Sorna following a parasailing accident. Critics were mixed on the film at 48% rotten on Rotten Tomatoes but the film did decent box office, grossing $181.1 million at the domestic box office and $368.7 million globally on a $93 million budget. The film is a breezy 92 minutes which means it gets right to the dinosaur action and on that level it’s fun but it is lacking a big from a storytelling standpoint. Considering the problems that Neill is pointing to, the movie turned out much better than it probably should have.
Are YOU a fan of Jurassic Park III?