Jurassic Park Icon Jeff Goldblum’s Latest Explanation Behind His Infamous Shirtless Scene Is So Good
Jurassic Park, Steven Spielberg’s 1993 dinosaur tale, is riddled with iconic moments. There is the first meeting between John Hammond, Ellie Sattler and Alan Grant, the initial appearance of the Tyrannosaurus rex and the confrontation with the raptors in the kitchen. But amidst the incredible action and flawless quotes, there’s one element that really stands out: Jeff Goldblum’s infamous shirtless scene. It’s essentially the stuff of legend at this point as, even today, fans can’t get enough of it. With Goldblum now doing press for Jurassic World: Dominionthe star has been discussing it, and his latest explanation about it is so on the mark.
Jeff Goldblum’s Dr. Ian Malcolm first appears with his shirt unbuttoned during the film’s second act. The actual scene sees him, now injured due to the T-Rex, conversing with John Hammond, Ellie Sattler, and others about undoing the security problem created by Dennis Nedry. While the sequence is interesting on its own, many would say that Malcolm’s exposed physique adds to it. According to Goldblum, the moment happened naturally:
It wasn’t in the script, it had nothing to do with my character. It had nothing to do with the movie. I don’t know, it just happened somehow.
I think it’s safe to say that moviegoers don’t really care that the shirt is unbuttoned. In the past, the beloved actor has provided some funny answers to his main moment on screen, even going so far as to apologize for it. However, what happened to reveal to vanity fair about it will surely make fans laugh even more:
I saw the original drawing, and it’s called ‘Naughty Fangs’.
Well, that’s one way of referring to it… I guess? I don’t know who came up with that particular name, especially since I really can’t imagine Steven Spielberg with such an awkward (and weirdly sultry) designation. Regardless of what you call it, the shot remains the same and will live with film history for decades to come.
The scene has really made its way into pop culture in some interesting ways. In fact, in 2018, a giant statue of Jeff Goldblum’s shirtless character was erected in London. The the actor himself shared thoughts on the structure around that time and considered it “charming”. Goldblum even recreated the iconic shot last year, much to the delight of his followers on social media.
With Jeff Goldblum ready to return Jurassic World: Dominion, people may wonder if they can expect some sort of callback. It would be fitting since the movie is meant to serve as the culmination of the franchise up to this point. We’ll have to wait and see if director Colin Trevorrow offers such a thing. In the meantime, I want to hear more of Goldblum’s thoughts on his highly scrutinized cinematic moment.
Jurassic World: Dominionone of the biggest of 2022 upcoming movieshits theaters June 10. While you wait for it to premiere, you can revisit the shirtless scene by streaming Jurassic Park with a HBO Max Subscription.