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Laura Dern has penned an emotional tribute to her “Jurassic Park” and “Jurassic World Dominion” co-star Sam Neill, saying: “I will love you forever, Dr. Alan Grant.”
The news broke on Monday that Neill had died at the
age of 78. He was diagnosed with a form of blood cancer in 2022, but revealed earlier this year that he was cancer free.
In a statement to Variety, Dern said: “Sam was my beloved lifetime friend… He showed me the depths of loyalty, protectiveness and love always with the driest of wit. He was a true and noble gentleman, wrapped up in my dream leading man. I will love you forever, Dr. Alan Grant.”
Dern played paleobotanist Ellie Sattler in Steven Spielberg’s 1993 dino blockbuster, the warm and optimistic counterpart to Neill’s often grumpy paleontologist Dr. Grant. The two reprised their roles in 2022’s “Jurassic World Dominion,” featuring alongside new franchise stars Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard.
Spielberg also honored Neill in a statement shared on Monday. “I owe a debt of gratitude to Roger Donaldson, Gilliam Armstrong, Graham Baker and Phillip Noyce for casting Sam Neill in the roles in which he was so brilliant that brought him to my attention and led to his playing Dr. Alan Grant in ‘Jurassic Park,’” he said. “Sam was exceptionally collaborative. It was a stretch for him to play a character who acted as though children were messy and smelly because this was the opposite of the loving father he was to his children.”
Spielberg concluded, “I adored making all the ‘Jurassic’ movies with him. Along with Laura Dern and Jeff Goldblum, we will always have our ‘Jurassic’ family and Sam will never be forgotten by us or his many millions of fans around the world.”
