Laura Dern has said that she never considered the age gap between herself and Sam Neill in Jurassic Park to be inappropriate until recent years.
Dern was just 23 when she starred in Steven Spielberg’s 1993 film, while her co-star Neill was 44.
In a new interview with The Sunday Times, Neill noted that Dern was a “tender age” when they shot the film.
Dern, however, said that at the time “it felt completely appropriate to fall in love with Sam Neill”.
“And it was only now, when we returned in a moment of cultural awareness about the patriarchy, that I was, like, ‘Wow! We’re not the same age?’” she said.
Discussing his own experience of the age gap, Neill said: “I am 20 years older than Laura! Which at the time was a completely appropriate age difference for a leading man and lady.”
He continued: “It never occurred to me until I opened a magazine and there was an article called ‘Old geezers and gals’. People like Harrison Ford and Sean Connery acting with much younger people. And there I was, on the list. I thought, ‘Come on. It can’t be true.’”
Dern and Neill are reprising their Jurassic Park roles in Jurassic World Dominion, which is released on 10 June.
