INTERVIEW: Jeff Goldblum Talks Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom

Not only is the freshly released Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom a direct sequel to the 2015 subtitle-less Jurassic World, it also includes a major tie to the original entry in the franchise, 1993's Jurassic Park: Dr. Ian Malcolm, as played by Jeff Goldblum.

While it's not a lengthy role -- what you've seen in trailers is just about it -- Goldblum bookends the film with some significant dialogue reflecting on the latest science-gone-wrong dilemma depicted in the J.A. Bayona-directed Fallen Kingdom (and it's a big one). Last seen in 1997's The Lost World: Jurassic Park, fan-favorite character Ian Malcolm is back after more than 20 years, though thanks to indelible quotes such as "life finds a way" and "your scientists were so preoccupied with whether or not they could that they didn't stop to think if they should.," he's never really been away.

CBR spoke one-on-one with Goldblum to talk returning to Ian Malcolm, the character's enduring qualities, what the Jurassic franchise has meant to him, a possible return for the next Jurassic World film and also his take on what could be in the future for Marvel Studios' Grandmaster, first seen in last fall's Thor: Ragnarok.

CBR: Jeff, it's not a secret that you're not in Fallen Kingdom a whole lot, but it's a memorable part, bookending the film. What made you decide to return to the role of Ian Malcolm after so many years?

Jeff Goldblum: I've always loved that character, from the first time I read the Michael Crichton book. Michael was brilliant, and the character is an interesting kind of person with some smart thinking and deep feeling about a couple of things. Of course, I had a great time making those first couple with Steven Spielberg and those casts. I just had a good association.

J.A. Bayona, I was a fan of. I had seen his movies and wanted to work with him in any way. And Colin Trevorrow, who wrote and directed the last one and was writing this one, I know is brilliant. I was thrilled to do it, and when i saw what they had, and saw what I had to say, I thought it was real interesting, and I was thrilled to be part of it.

Did the size of the role make you hesitant at all, or did it make it easier to say yes given your schedule?

I was busy, that's true, but I would have considered, eagerly, all sorts of things. But I was thrilled with this, because I thought the character and what I had to do was kind of delicious. I've never thought the amount of screen time was as importance as the richness of the inner thinking and feeling of the character, and what he got a chance to do.

In this, once I started to work on it, I worked on it every day, and then started to get some little ideas about how to tweak the script, or curiosity about exactly what we were trying to thematically highlight in what I was saying. I had a couple of ideas, and changes, and talked to Colin Trevorrow over the phone -- he was in London, and I was in Los Angeles -- and had a wonderful conversation, for a couple hours, it was very creative. He included a couple of my ideas, and we collaborated. And then I got to London a few days before I started to shoot, and did something similar with J.A. Bayona, who was very available and passionate and focused about it. He had ideas that were in alignment with what I talked to about with Colin, and we worked on it and changed a couple of other things. It was a very creatively nutritious experience.

This character, as you've mentioned, is a special one. You've played many memorable characters, but Ian Malcolm has endured. Fans still quote his lines, there are Funko dolls, memes...

I know!

What do you think it is about this character in particular that has had a meaningful impact on people for so many years?

I think it's the combination of Michael Crichton's original creation, and then Steven Spielberg's depiction in both those movies. [Spielberg] knows how to present a character and tell a story like nobody's business, of course, and I think that was it.

I know what you mean. People come up to me at the jazz gig at Rockwell [bar/restaurant in Los Angeles] every Wednesday, some of them have tattoos, they want a video of me taking a glass of water and putting drops on the back of their hand and explaining chaos theory. Which I happily do! I'm delighted to have been a part of this, and thrilled to be contributing something at this point.

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The role has meant so much to fans, but it sounds like it meant a lot to you, too.

Yeah, it sure has. It's been lovely for me, and I bet I've gotten a job or two from it, not that that's my focus. Steven Spielberg is a wonderful teacher, and I've been trying to get better all along the way. But this character says things that interests me. He's pro-science, and has a real high esteem for human intellectual curiosity and investigation -- the facts that scientific approach and cosmic perspective can offer us. And I'm passionately anti-greed and anti-militarism, and I want to do what I can to contribute a planet that will work for everyone and every creature.

He's a kind of heroic and large-thinking fella. He's done a lot for me, in fact.

You were such a major part of the first two Jurassic Park films -- what do you like about the direction the franchise has gone in with these two recent movies?

Well, I love Chris [Pratt] and Bryce [Dallas Howard] -- it almost reminds me of Casablanca, I love their "can't exactly get together, but they're deeply meant for each other and drawn to each other." I love that. I love all the actors. I love Geraldine Chaplin showing up in this one, with whom I did a couple movies a long time ago -- Robert Altman directed us in Nashville. And James Cromwell; not to mention Ted Levine, who I think is very interesting. Toby Jones and I did a Broadway show at one point.

I love the continuation of the story -- the state-of-the-art way of telling a story that is full of chills and spills seems to be better than ever. The way this movie has you on the edge of your seat for so much of the first part, and then becomes this unexpected horror movie, in this gothic-type of mansion, which a couple of visual quotations from Nosferatu -- I think it's very smart. Then the whole little bit of reference to our power to fool with genes, and our knowledge about genetic engineering, and our possible interaction, and the morality and ethics that are begged by that information, is real interesting to me. I think it's a real interesting question.

It's already known there's going to be another Jurassic World movie, with Colin Trevorrow returning as director -- don't want to get ahead of ourselves, be would you be up for returning and maybe playing a bigger role, if the stars align?

If the stars align -- not that I believe in astrology, I don't. [Laughs] I had a session with Neil deGrasse Tyson a couple of days ago on his show Star Talk for National Geographic; he's a hero of mine, and I was thrilled to talk with him.

There's no validity in astrology, of course, but if all the forces in the universe, however mysterious, align, yes. On one hand, I'm so grateful and feel so lucky to have been gifted with all the experiences I've had with this story, that if nothing were to happen, I'd be entirely satisfied. But it's all been thrilling, and if I could contribute in any way, however humble, I'd be delighted.

I love Colin Trevorrow -- we did that Jeep commercial for the Super Bowl, he directed me in that. He's spectacular. So yeah, who knows where we'll all be in a couple of years?

Let's talk about a more recent character you've played -- the Grandmaster in Thor: Ragnarok, who quickly became a fan favorite. How pleased were you with the reception to that character, and would you like to take him on again?

It's been very gratifying, because I had such a good time. Taika Waititi is a brilliant director, and we laughed our heads off, and improvised a lot -- from a wonderful script, but had 10 other things that we wanted to do with each line and each scene, so we did. Kevin Feige, Louis D'Esposito and Victoria Alonso, at the creative head of Marvel, are wonderful people. I was thrilled to work with them. They have such great integrity. They want to make popular movies, but very good movies, and have interesting ways of going about that.

I'd love to do anything. That character's interesting -- his brother is The Collector, and he's got more superpowers than we've seen anybody have. He could do anything, and likes to play games -- and is immortal. All sorts of things could happen. Who knows!

Directed by J.A. Bayona, Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom is in theaters now.