Why Jeff Goldblum came back for more with the dinosaurs in 'Jurassic World Dominion'

The calling card for “Jurassic World Dominion” is that it unites the casts of the “Jurassic Park” and the “Jurassic World” films.

At least a little bit. The characters appear in separate story lines but eventually get together to help each other out and fend off dinosaurs. But there is definitely a nostalgia factor in seeing Laura Dern, Sam Neill and Jeff Goldblum reunited.

It sounds as if the cast felt the same way.

“Oh my gosh, wild horses couldn’t have kept me from doing it again,” Goldblum said. “I’ve had the best creative association and professional association. It’s been a nice thing to have been in this movie, a terrific thing, all these movies, very lucky for me.”

Back for more: In 'Jurassic World Dominion' more is less

Goldblum talked about making the latest film, and what the franchise has meant to him. As with any conversation with him, it wandered a bit, but that’s part of his charm. For instance: “In school we would have sat next to each other, Goldblum and Goodykoontz.”

Question: The obvious question, of course, is why do it again?

Answer: Creatively, that’s how I started this whole wild-hearted adventure. I wanted an outlet or some vehicle or some odyssey to go on. And I’ll tell you, working with Steven Spielberg the first and second times, and with Laura Dern and Sam Neill, who are true artists, has been nourishing and educational, inspirational and transformational. I loved it. … Every reason in the world made me want to come and do it again.

Goldblum had no idea people would still be talking about 'Jurassic Park'

Q: “Jurassic Park” came out in 1993. Did you have any idea then that you’d be making sequels and talking about them nearly 30 years later?

A: Oh my gosh, no. I was on the treadmill this morning and the second one came on that I’m in — and Julianne Moore, Vanessa Lee Chester, Vince Vaughn, Richard Schiff and Pete Postlethwaite — no, I had no idea. If somebody had told me back then that in 30 years almost you’ll be doing a sixth one of these and you’ll still be enjoying it, no, I would have been very surprised at that.

No, no. It’s an incredible thing, isn’t it?

Q: But clearly it was a huge film, certainly in terms of budget and publicity.

A: I knew Steven Spielberg was a giant and a genius and I loved him, and the Michael Crichton book was popular and was so interesting. But I didn’t know that during the process Dennis Murin from (Industrial Light & Magic) and Stan Winston’s animatronics would forge together to make the most lifelike dinosaurs you’d ever seen in movies, and change all of movies, according to some people, in the last couple of decades. The fact that it hit people like it did is surprising.

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Q: Certainly the films have had a lot of luck.

A: All of life, the fact that we’re here, I think is wildly lucky, amazing and a mystery of some kind, and certainly magical. And that we can make these movies, yeah, it’s an amazing little endeavor. … It’s all just trying and experimenting and doing things that oftentimes are just the fertilizer for that one little flower that accidentally happens.

Goldblum returns as Ian Malcolm in 'Jurassic World Dominion'

Q: You’re playing Ian Malcolm again. A lot of time has passed since you and the original cast were back together. (Goldblum appeared in “Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom” in 2018.) It’s passed for the character and for you. How do you approach coming back to him?

A: Some of the obvious things that people would do are to go back and revisit any element of that book that now catches you and triggers something, and watching the movies again and looking for portals into the new script — what they may suggest about what I’ve been up to, and all the specifics that maybe give you behavioral or inner-emotional things, or colorful things that may set off your imagination. All that stuff, yeah.

Q: Do you like the guy?

A: Yeah. I admire him. I aspire to be a little bit like him. I think he’s heroic and cool and witty and funny here and there. Serious and dedicated to science, which I admire. And finally, courageous and very focused on fighting the good fight and trying to be a good steward on this planet.

Q: You’ve obviously had a lot of success. You’ve also had some controversy. (In 2020 Goldblum was criticized for comments he made about Islam's treatment of the LGBTQ community and women on “RuPaul’s Drag Race”.)

A: I’m very appreciative. And it’s the kind of endeavor I’m still passionate about, enjoy more than ever and is life-enhancing. It kind of is soul-nourishing. And I get to work with spectacular people.

This business of other things that may come with it, I tell you, I’d be hard pressed to find a lot of things for me that haven’t been kind of sweet.

Reach Goodykoontz at bill.goodykoontz@arizonarepublic.com. Facebook: facebook.com/GoodyOnFilm. Twitter: @goodyk. Subscribe to the weekly movies newsletter.

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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Why Jeff Goldblum came back for 'Jurassic World Dominion'