Laura Dern Was Almost Replaced By Two Hollywood Legends In Jurassic Park
Back in 2013 we had the 3D re-release of Steven Spielberg’s Jurassic Park. The 20th-anniversary edition of Spielberg’s classic film would see a new and improved digital restoration, with a fancy 3D up-conversion.
We all know that Laura Dern crushed the role of Dr. Ellie Sattler, a paleobotanist who more than held her own when the going got tough with the dinosaurs. With expertise, quick thinking, and intelligence Sattler filled up the screen. Dern imbued the character with an assertive presence that defied some sexist stereotypes of the era.
But as with all things in Hollywood, Laura Dern wasn’t the only one up for Dr. Sattler in Jurassic Park. A couple of other big names auditioned as well, though admittedly, they weren’t quite so big yet.
Both Helen Hunt and Gwyneth Paltrow threw their hats in the ring for the role of Dr. Ellie Sattler. While the actresses would have done a fine job in the role, they likely would have changed the part (possibly) significantly.
Although Helen Hunt had a steady acting career before Jurassic Park, she hadn’t gained much exposure until she appeared on the widely popular NBC sitcom Mad About You with Paul Reiser in 1993.
Gwyneth Paltrow meanwhile had a small but notable role in Steven Spielberg’s Hook as the Young Wendy in 1991, but it wasn’t until she co-starred with Brad Pitt and Morgan Freeman in David Fincher’s Se7en that she became a household name.
Either way, both Hunt and Paltrow would later go on to win Academy Awards for Best Female Actor in a Leading Role for the movies As Good As It Gets and Shakespeare in Love, respectively.
Again, fine choices indeed. But could they have landed lines like “Woman inherits the Earth”? That one is a bit tougher to say.
