Scarlett Johansson has revealed that she spent years sending trade reports about new "Jurassic Park" films to her agents in the hope that she would land a role in the iconic franchise.
The actor, who is finally getting her shot with this summer's "Jurassic World Rebirth," opened up about her dreams to star in a franchise that she grew up a fan of during an interview with Vanity Fair.
"I was really crazy about the [original] film, and I slept in a 'Jurassic Park' pup tent in my bedroom I shared with my sister for a year," Johansson said. "Anytime the trades would report a new 'Jurassic' movie, I would forward to my agents like, 'Hey, I'm available.'"
Johansson recalled filming reshoots for "Black Widow" at Britain's Pinewood Studios in 2020, while next door, filming was taking place for "Jurassic World Dominion," where Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard were working on their own blockbuster.
The actor remembered telling her team then, "Show me the sets! I want to participate!"
Johansson eventually landed a meeting with Steven Spielberg, the director behind the original "Jurassic Park" and its 1997 sequel, "The Lost World: Jurassic Park." While the discussion was meant to cover potential future projects, Johansson was focused on joining the Jurassic franchise.
"I hadn't really sat with him and talked about work, and we spent hours just catching up and chatting, and then at some point, many hours into it, he was like, 'Wait, we're supposed to talk about "Jurassic." Do I hear you're a huge superfan?'" Johansson recalled. "I said, 'It is actually true. I'm confirming. I'm a huge superfan.'"
Johansson said she held back from telling Spielberg that she once spent an entire year sleeping in a "Jurassic Park" tent, worried he might see her as a "weird stalker," but looking back, she said she now wishes she had shared that detail.
"Obviously, with all the 'Avengers' stuff, you meet so many fans who are profoundly moved by the characters and the world that you're a part of," Johansson said. "I get it. It's always wonderful to meet people like that. I probably should have just told him. But I was like, 'Just be professional. Don't seem desperate. Don't mention the tent.'"
Johansson also shared how she was "an enormous" fan of the "Jurassic Park" franchise in an interview with ComicBook.
"I'm an enormous 'Jurassic Park' fan," she said. "It's one of the first films I remember seeing in the theater. I remember seeing it so vividly. It was like life-changing. It was mind-blowing. I cannot express how excited I am."
Zoe Papadakis ✉
Zoe Papadakis is a Newsmax writer based in South Africa with two decades of experience specializing in media and entertainment. She has been in the news industry as a reporter, writer and editor for newspapers, magazine and websites.
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