“I’m 20 years older than Laura! Which was a perfectly reasonable age difference for a leading man and a leading lady at the time!”
Okay, so if you’ve seen the 1993 film Jurassic Park then you’re probably aware of the romance between Laura Dern’s Ellie Sattler and Sam Neill’s Alan Grant.
Mca / Courtesy of Everett Collection
Perhaps less commented on is the age difference between Laura and Sam, considering Laura was just 23 when the film was made and Sam was 44.
Universal Pictures/Getty Images
Well, ahead of the two actors starring in the new Jurassic World Dominion movie, Laura and Sam spoke to the Sunday Times about their age difference.
Stefanie Keenan/Getty Images for CDGA, NurPhoto/Getty Images
“Laura was at a tender age,” Sam recalled. “I’m 20 years older than Laura! Which at the time was a perfectly reasonable age gap for a leading man and a leading lady!”
Universal / Courtesy Everett Collection
“It never crossed my mind until I opened a magazine and there was an article called ‘Old Geezers and Girls.’ Guys like Harrison Ford and Sean Connery who work with much younger people,” he continued. “And there I was, on the list.”
Jeff Kravitz / FilmMagic, Inc / Getty Images
As for Laura, she said her thoughts on the subject have evolved over time. “Well it felt totally appropriate to fall in love with Sam Neill,” she said.
Murray Close/Getty Images
Laura continued, “It’s only now, as we came back in a moment of cultural awareness of patriarchy, that I thought, ‘Wow! We’re not the same age?’”
Murray Close / Universal Studios / Courtesy The Everett Collection
Daily BuzzFeed
Stay up to date with the BuzzFeed Daily Newsletter!