Jeff Goldblum Says Dr. Ian Malcolm Was Nearly Cut From JURASSIC PARK
Dr. Ian Malcolm has become one of the most memorable things about the Jurassic Park franchise in recent years, so it's kind of shocking to hear that Steven Spielberg nearly cut Jeff Goldblum's character from the first film. Goldblum said Spielberg spoke to him during production (via Vanity Fair) and told him he was considering merging Malcolm's character and Dr. Alan Grant into one person, but after meeting with Goldblum decided to keep the characters separate:
I [read] that Michael Crichton book — Ian Malcolm, wow! Smart, funny, interesting character. [Spielberg] was so nice… but he said, ‘You know, there’s a sort of movement afoot… to have that part removed from the script. So since we’ve had this meeting, there’s this little wrinkle that may… render this moot.’ I kind of said, ‘Well, gee!’ I felt moved to advocate for my inclusion!
What's hilarious is that merged character that Spielberg was talking about almost sounds like the type of character that Chris Pratt's Owen Grady is. Granted, he's just a little less goofy than Malcolm, but I wouldn't be surprised if the driving force of his character creation started with the idea of blending Alan Grant and Ian Malcolm into one person.
Can you imagine a Jurassic Park franchise without Dr. Ian Malcolm?!