Shocking Revelation: The Shocking Age Gap Controversy in Jurassic Park - Exclusive!

Summary

Laura Dern reflects on the significant age gap between her character Ellie and Alan in Jurassic Park, calling it "completely inappropriate".

Dern only became aware of the age difference between the actors upon reading an article that emphasized the recognition of patriarchal norms. While the romance between Alan and Ellie is reignited in Jurassic World: Dominion, Dern's statement serves as a reminder that the initial stages of their relationship were troublesome due to the significant age gap.

Laura Dern has expressed her disapproval of the significant age difference between Dr. Alan Grant and Ellie Sattler in Jurassic Park. Released in 1993, Steven Spielberg's Jurassic Park quickly became a huge success as audiences were captivated by the lifelike presentation of dinosaurs on the big screen. However, it was the characters that truly captured the audience's hearts. The story revolves around paleontologists Ellie (played by Dern) and Alan (played by Sam Neill) as they embark on a tour of a cutting-edge dinosaur theme park, only to find themselves in a terrifying fight for survival when the dinosaurs break free from their enclosures.

Dern did not appear in the 1997 sequel, The Lost World: Jurassic Park, but did make a somewhat limited appearance in Jurassic Park III. In the first film, Ellie and Alan were romantically involved but disagreed on the topic of having children. By Jurassic Park III, Ellie had moved on, married, and had children, although she and Alan maintained a friendly relationship. However, Dern reprised her role once again in 2022's Jurassic World: Dominion, appearing alongside Neill and Jeff Goldblum, as the film continues to explore the unresolved romantic tension between Alan Grant and Ellie Sattler.

What Laura Dern Had To Say About Ellie And Alan's Age Gap

Reflecting on her role in the original Jurassic Park, Dern discusses the significant age gap between her and Neill in an interview with The Times. During the filming, Dern, at the age of 23, was notably younger than Neill, who was 20 years her senior. As Neill jokingly remarks, "I am 20 years older than Laura!" While Jurassic Park remains a cherished and influential film, it is evident that certain aspects of the movie have not aged well. Dern expresses her thoughts by stating, "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."

Ellie and Alan's ages are mentioned in the original script of Jurassic Park, where Ellie is stated to be in her late 20s and Alan in his mid-30s. However, the actual actors portraying them had a significantly larger age difference. The movie does not explicitly specify the ages of Alan Grant and Ellie Sattler, but it is evident that Ellie is noticeably younger than Alan. Since the film was released in 1993, during a period when the problematic dynamics between men and women in movies received less attention, it is possible that the producers were unaware or indifferent to the inappropriate age gap.

Alan And Ellie Rekindled Their Romance In Dominion Despite The Age Gap

The return of the original characters, including Alan Grant, Ellie Sattler, and Dr. Ian Malcolm, in Jurassic World: Dominion was a major selling point. Fans were delighted to see Ellie divorced, which ultimately paved the way for a rekindling of her relationship with Alan Grant. Their journey together in the movie resulted in a happily-ever-after ending. Despite the film receiving heavy criticism and the lowest Rotten Tomatoes score among all the Jurassic franchise movies, the portrayal of these two characters proved to be one of its most rewarding aspects.

Dern and Neill, aged 55 and 74 respectively during the release of Jurassic World: Dominion, had a smaller age gap that felt less significant compared to 1993. In the original Jurassic Park, Dern was almost 30 years older than her character. While it wouldn't pose much of an issue if the two characters met for the first time in the 2022 film, the relationship between Alan Grant and Ellis Sattler still had a problematic start. Dern's comment is a necessary reminder that even beloved films like Jurassic Park can contain elements that wouldn't be accepted in today's standards.