Scarlett Johansson Details Depths of Her ‘Jurassic Park' Fandom, From Pitching Herself to Steven Spielberg to Organizing Screening for Avengers Cast
'I had a meeting with him and I don't actually know if he knew the depths of my Jurassic fandom, but I'm hoping that no one explained it to him too thoroughly because it maybe would've come off as being a little too much,' Johansson explained to The Hollywood Reporter during a recent interview about her Cannes Film Festival selection Eleanor the Great. 'Although knowing Steven now, he was excited when I shared with how much it would mean to me to play any part in Jurassic. I could've played it cooler and maybe I wouldn't have gotten it.'
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Got it she did, and audiences will soon have the chance to see the fangirl-turned-franchise star when Universal Pictures' Jurassic World Rebirth hits theaters on July 2. The entry marks a new era in the Jurassic Park universe and finds Johansson starring opposite a cast that includes Jonathan Bailey, Mahershala Ali, Rupert Friend, Manuel Garcia-Rulfo, Luna Blaise, David Iacono, Audrina Miranda, Philippine Velge, Bechir Sylvain and Ed Skrein.
Directed by Gareth Edwards from a script by David Koepp, Jurassic World Rebirth picks up five years after the events of Jurassic World Dominion at a time when the planet's ecology has proven largely inhospitable to dinosaurs. Those remaining exist in isolated equatorial environments with climates resembling the one in which they once thrived. The three most colossal creatures across land, sea and air within that tropical biosphere hold, in their DNA, the key to a drug that will bring miraculous life-saving benefits to humankind.
Johansson stars as Zora Bennett, a covert operations expert who is contracted to lead a skilled team on a top-secret mission to secure the genetic material. When Zora's operation intersects with a civilian family whose boating expedition was capsized by marauding aquatic dinos, they all find themselves stranded on a forbidden island that had once housed an undisclosed research facility for Jurassic Park.
'Unbelievable' is how Johansson describes the fact that she's in the new installment. 'I've been trying to get into a Jurassic movie for, I don't know, 15 years or something,' she continued. 'I was so stoked that it all came together.'
Like most things in Hollywood, it all came down to timing. 'When I first heard that there was a new Jurassic movie coming, that it was written with a female lead who was the age that I could fit into, and that it was happening during a time period that I could shoot, it was particularly surreal,' Johansson said. 'I was actually in the middle of making Eleanor — we were filming it at the time — so there was a lot happening at the time. I had to compartmentalize my nervous excitement for the job in front of me while also focusing on making it work. I would have these really geeked out, fangirl moments and then be, like, 'OK, put that away for a second.''
Johansson's fandom dates back to the release of the original Jurassic Park in the summer of 1993. She was only 8 years old at the time, and on the verge of making her big screen debut in North. 'It was such a formative moviegoing experience for me. It was like nothing any of us had seen before. The effects were extraordinary. It was the perfect mix of CGI, puppetry, an incredible score, a mix of drama with some comedy, it was gory but not too gory, it was scary but not too scary. The kids were great in it. It hit every part of what makes a movie great in a theater, and it felt like everyone was having such a collective experience. It was so thrilling and has stayed with me forever. Those kinds of movies are rare, and I'm here for them. I'm here to be carried away, entertained and thrilled.'
She's become such an obsessed fan that when the first Jurassic World film came out in 2015, she happened to be on a job with her Marvel Cinematic Universe colleagues so she organized a group outing. 'I love to go to these movies with total abandon, grab a huge bucket of popcorn and some Raisinets and just disappear into the film. I'm such a fan,' she said. 'When the new Jurassic World came out, we were in New Mexico filming one of the Avengers films, and I set up this weekend outing. We took a big group and ate chicken fingers and nachos and yelled at the screen. I was so pumped that there was a new generation of Jurassic. Now that I get to be in one, it's just crazy.'
And she learned a lesson along the way: 'It taught me that if you are enthusiastic about a project, it is actually good to share your enthusiasm. You don't have to dumb it down or play it cool.'Best of The Hollywood Reporter
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29 Actors Who Were Cast At The Very Last Second
Recently, Reddit user ValoNoctis asked about last-minute casting that saved a movie, and I can't believe some of these actors almost didn't play these iconic roles. Here are actors who came in at the eleventh hour and killed it. Director Quentin Tarantino struggled to find the right actor to play Hans Landa in Inglourious Basterds. On the podcast The Moment With Brian Koppelman, Tarantino said the movie was already in pre-production, and they hadn't cast the role — which was a problem, as Tarantino had decided to shelve the project for a few years if he couldn't find the perfect actor. "It's Tuesday morning, and by Friday, Universal Pictures sign the check, and now we're making the movie for Universal. And I know if I'm gonna pull the plug, I've gotta pull it before Thursday," he revealed. On Wednesday, Christoph Waltz auditioned, and Tarantino immediately knew he'd found his Landa. Waltz would end up winning an Oscar for his portrayal. Suggested by u/bvmse Gene Wilder wanted the role of Jim in Blazing Saddles, but director Mel Brooks thought he was too young. "I need an older guy — someone who could look like an over-the-hill alcoholic," he told Wilder. He went with Gig Young, who was known to struggle with alcoholism in real life, which Brooks thought would work well with the character. However, on the very first morning of filming, Young was dealing with alcohol withdrawal — which was made worse by the fact that his character was upside-down. "We draped Gig Young's legs over and hung him upside down. And he started to talk and he started shaking." At first, Brooks thought this was just great acting. Suggested by u/hedbopper But..."The shaking never stopped, and green stuff started spewing out of his mouth and nose, and he started screaming." Brooks said he learned his lesson not to cast someone with alcoholism as a character with alcoholism: "I said, 'That's the last time I'll ever cast anybody who really is that person.'" He continued, "Poor Gig Young, it was the first shot on Friday, nine in the morning, and an ambulance came and took him away. I had no movie." Brooks quickly called up Wilder, who flew out the next day to film. They were shooting again on Monday. Wilder ended up being perfect for the role, cementing the movie in comedy history. Another actor who was replaced after filming started? Harvey Keitel in Apocalypse Now. He actually shot for a full week before being recast. The film's director, Francis Ford Coppola, apparently felt he wasn't right for the role, and also that Keitel was uncomfortable filming in the jungle (which Keitel has disputed). Coppola convinced Martin Sheen to take the role instead — he'd originally wanted Sheen for the role, but he was unavailable. Sheen's performance would end up being the most memorable part of the film. Suggested by u/congo66 Joaquin Phoenix was originally cast as the lead in Split, but dropped out only weeks before filming began. James McAvoy stepped in to play the role and said he only had two weeks to prepare. While Phoenix obviously is a talented actor, McAvoy's performance was stellar, garnering critical acclaim — one reviewer called it "the performance of his career." Suggested by u/ralo229 Tim Colceri spent weeks rehearsing for his role as a drill sergeant in Full Metal Jacket, with director Stanley Kubrick continuously telling him shooting would begin the next day, then not following through. Eventually, Colceri was given a letter by Kubrick stating he had been recast with R. Lee Ermey. Ermey, a Vietnam War veteran, had been initially hired as a technical consultant on the film. However, he won Kubrick over with an unsolicited audition tape, earning the role over Colceri, who had been cast eight months earlier. Ermey knocked it out of the park, with the scene of him yelling at the recruits — which was half improvised — becoming one of the most memorable parts of the film. Colceri was cast in a smaller role. Suggested by u/Alteredego619 Paul Dano only had about four days to prepare for his role as Eli in There Will Be Blood. He had already been cast as Paul, and Kel O'Neill had been cast as Eli (who was not initially Paul's brother). In fact, O'Neill had already filmed for weeks. However, O'Neill did not work well with the director, Paul Thomas Anderson, so Anderson decided to give Dano the additional role and make the characters twins. "I just went for it, threw myself in there and gave it everything I had," Dano said. "That was just guts and instinct, not a lot of preparation. ... I had to cut loose and go for it," he said. Dano was nominated for a BAFTA for his role as the twins. Suggested by u/MrAldoRayne Director John Carpenter was unsure about casting Kurt Russell as R.J. MacReady in The Thing and only decided on him the day they flew out to film the movie. There's actually a scene where MacReady flies a helicopter that's not even Russell — it's a pilot in the character's costume because they didn't have Russell on hand yet. The film ended up being one of Russell's best roles. Dianna Agron was cast the day before the pilot for Glee began shooting. Producers were actually about to cut her character as they hadn't found someone for the role — and her casting ended up vastly changing how they envisioned the character. Series creator Ryan Murphy said Agron "ruined the part" for him because she "humanized" Quinn. "She can cry at the drop of a hat. So now her character has a conscience, a soul, and great vulnerability." Murphy was right; Agron imbued the character with a complexity that elevated the role beyond a basic cheerleader role. Viggo Mortensen was cast after production began for The Lord of the Rings. He replaced Stuart Townsend, who was deemed too young for the role and fired the day before filming began. "I felt unprepared," Mortensen revealed. "The other actors had been there for weeks and months, in some cases, preparing for the arduous task of shooting the whole trilogy. I also felt awkward because I'd never been in a position of replacing another actor." Despite his fears, Mortensen killed it in the role. Suggested by u/revdon Stuart Townsend was also replaced in Thor just days before the start of filming. Josh Dallas was cast in the role instead after "creative differences" (though there were rumors Townsend had been late for a screen test and was fired), and he only had a few days before he had to film. Nevertheless, he did well in the small role. Stanley Tucci similarly replaced another actor days before production began. After Ryan Gosling was cast in The Lovely Bones, he started drinking melted ice cream and gained 60 pounds because he "really believed he should be 210 pounds." However, he didn't communicate this to director Peter Jackson, who "had a different idea of how the character should look." When Gosling showed up on set to film, Jackson fired him. Tucci was cast in the role instead, and was the perfect level of creepy. Peter Jackson's wife and collaborator Fran Walsh said it was more Gosling's youth that led to him being ousted, saying Gosling believed he was too young for the role and "was so uncomfortable moving forward, and we began to feel he was not right." Speaking of Tucci, he accepted his role in The Devil Wears Prada only 72 hours before the start of shooting. "I was cast at the 11th hour," Tucci told Entertainment Weekly. 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A week before Prison Break began shooting, it didn't have either of its leads. Wentworth Miller was cast only a week before shooting. And Dominic Purcell wasn't officially cast until three days prior to filming. Both actors were perfect for the role and contributed to the show lasting five seasons. Similarly, Richard Dreyfuss and Robert Shaw, who played two of the leading roles in Jaws, were cast only nine days before shooting began. Both earned critical acclaim for their performances. Michael J. Fox was cast in Back to the Future five weeks after it started filming. Eric Stoltz had initially been cast in the role and even filmed for multiple weeks before director Robert Zemeckis and writer Bob Gale decided he didn't have the right comedic tone for Marty. They decided to replace him with Fox, their first choice for the role. However, they couldn't do this right away (Fox was still busy shooting Family Ties) and continued to film with Stoltz for days knowing they wouldn't use the footage. It ended up becoming Fox's most memorable role. Suggested by u/Drewp655321 Sam Waterston was cast in Godless at the last minute because the actor who was supposed to play Marshal John Cook got sick. He only had four days to prepare for the role — yet he killed it in the critically acclaimed series. Chris Sheffield was cast in The Maze Runner so late that the director, Wes Ball, and the producers for the film were already in Louisiana, preparing the production. A few days later, Sheffield was heading to Louisiana, too, to shoot, crafting a strong performance despite his lack of preparation. David Hayman was cast days before Bull started shooting because the original actor had dropped out. "I had no time to think about it," Hayman revealed. "I love Paul Andrew Williams's work. His movies and work are challenging. I love the cast. So it was a no-brainer for me to do it." Hayman's performance was highly praised in reviews. Patrick Renna was the last actor cast in The Sandlot after another actor dropped out only two days before production started on location. Director David Mickey Evans called meeting Renna a "godsend" as he was perfect for the role. Michael Biehn was cast in Aliens weeks into filming, as James Remar had recently been fired after getting arrested for drug possession. According to Biehn, Aliens producer Gale Anne Hurd called him on a Friday and asked if he had a current passport — which, luckily, he did. By Monday, he was on set, giving a legendary performance. Suggested by u/jayseventwo Ed Harris was cast to play Christof in The Truman Show when principal photography was almost done, and shot for only 10 days. He replaced Dennis Hopper, who left the cast due to "creative differences." Harris was nominated for an Oscar for the role. In a pretty unprecedented move, Christopher Plummer was cast in All the Money in the World AFTER the film had been entirely shot. Replacing Kevin Spacey in the wake of his sexual assault allegations, Plummer reshot all of Spacey's scenes in just nine days. He was nominated for an Oscar for his work on the film. Suggested by u/boringwhitecollar Similarly, Tobey Maguire had already filmed all of his scenes for Life of Pi when the director decided to replace him because he was too famous, making his presence distracting. Rafe Spall was quickly cast in Maguire's role, putting him in the rare position of being cast AFTER a movie was technically "complete," though, of course, he had to reshoot all of Maguire's scenes. This was probably the right decision, as I can't picture Maguire in this role. Ben Whishaw was cast as the voice of the titular teddy bear in Paddington after the film was shot. Colin Firth had initially taken on the role but came to a mutual agreement with producers that his voice sounded too mature. "That was a bit scary because it was late in the process. We'd shot the film, but it was the right call," recalled producer David Heyman. Firth's exit was in June, and the film was set to come out in November. Luckily, since Whishaw was just providing a voice, they could still finish the movie for its November release. Paddington would end up becoming critically acclaimed, with Whishaw's voice fitting perfectly. The same happened with Scarlett Johansson in Her. Samantha Morton had originally been cast and worked on set throughout filming. While editing during post-production, director Spike Jonze "realized that what the character/movie needed was different from what Samantha and I had created together." They recast Johansson in the role in the 11th hour, re-recording the character's dialogue. Johansson's voice ended up being a much better fit for the role. 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The summer tentpole films are rolling out, and as expected, Jurassic World Rebirth had a massive opening over the holiday weekend. The film opened to $91.5 million at the box office, more than three times the amount the runner-up, F1: The Movie, made the same weekend. It's also nearly double F1's opening (the racing film opened to $57 million the week before). Over the course of five days, Jurassic World Rebirth has racked up a respectable $147,304,630, more than F1 has made in its two weeks in theaters. Jurassic is the only debut on the box office charts, and it's off to a good start. However, its five-day total is comparable to what Lilo & Stitch made in its first weekend ($146,016,175; now sitting at the number seven spot, the film has grossed $972,720,147 worldwide and counting). However, Variety notes that Jurassic's numbers are down for the dino franchise. The initial reboot, 2015's Jurassic World, opened to $208 million; 2018's Jurassic World Fallen Kingdom opened to $148 million; and 2022's Jurassic World Dominion opened to $145 million. Those films also all had significantly higher five-day totals than Rebirth, though the downward trend for each suggests that people simply aren't as excited about the prospect of a Jurassic World anymore—perhaps the suspension of disbelief as to why people keep bringing their kids around raging dinosaurs has worn a bit thin. We'll see how Rebirth holds up when Superman flies into theaters this coming weekend. The other notable new entry on last weekend's domestic box office chart is the restored, remastered, and re-released This Is Spinal Tap, which sits at number 10 having made $931,737 in its re-opening weekend. The success has spurred some additional dates tacked on to the limited engagement, with new showtimes on July 7, 8, and 9. In a statement (via Deadline), Bleecker Street Distribution President Kyle Davies said, 'We are thrilled with these early results of our re-release of [Rob Reiner's] original This Is Spinal Tap. While showtimes were limited this weekend, and the initial engagement carries into Monday, we experienced sell-out shows across the country, demonstrating that interest in the world of Spinal Tap still 'goes to 11.' Glad fans and newcomers alike got a taste of these musical legends as we head into the release of Spinal Tap II later this year.' You can check out the full top 10, courtesy Box Office Mojo, below. Jurassic World Rebirth, $91.5 million F1: The Movie, $26,060,000 How To Train Your Dragon, $11,000,000 Elio, $5,700,000 28 Years Later, $4,600,000 M3GAN 2.0, $3,800,000 Lilo & Stitch, $3,800,000 Mission: Impossible—The Final Reckoning, $3,280,120 Materialists, $1,346,704 This Is Spinal Tap, $931,737 More from A.V. Club A twisty Poker Face season finale takes big chances that pay off Nacho Vigalondo retreats to an unimaginative dream world for Daniela Forever South Korean phenomenon Solo Leveling is getting a live-action Netflix adaptation Solve the daily Crossword
