Life truly finds a way. It’s been 30 years this June 11 since Steven Spielberg welcomed audiences to Jurassic Park. The sci-fi blockbuster sensation, based on the writings of Michael Crichton, gave viewers some of the most iconic and enduring scenes in film history, from the first look at a live Brachiosaurus to the terrifying roar of the Tyrannosaurus. But it also gave that unforgettable image of Jeff Goldblum with his shirt casually and attractively unbuttoned to show off a thick sliver of chest.
Today, it’s one of the most recognizable and referenced moments in the film – and the franchise as a whole, which spans two additional films prominently featuring Goldblum and Sam Neill, as well as the Jurassic World trilogy led by Chris Pratt. At a time when people are getting eaten alive by ancient predators, Goldblum’s Dr. Ian Malcolm showed off an early ’90s thirst trap. But there’s actually a narrative behind that clip. Here’s what Goldblum has to say on the memorable moment.
Jeff Goldblum revisits his unbuttoned shirt scene from ‘Jurassic Park’
Once the action kicks off in Jurassic Park, it continually charges on, interweaving deep philosophical debates with thrilling escapes. Not everyone comes out of these encounters unscathed and when Dr. Malcolm is injured, it’s everything his fellow survivors can do to transport him – and themselves – to safety.
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“I’m suffering. … I’m stoically and manfully bearing up with some kind of pain,” Goldblum reflected. “And, well, it’s Hawaii — or, well, it’s supposed to be Costa Rica — so things are hot and I’m sure I’m in some kind of fever. So all of the logic is that you have to get some of these wet clothes off, immediately.” So began the fashionably disheveled style of Ian Malcolm.
“Patented it, packaged it, slapped it on a plastic lunchbox”
As a film, Jurassic Park did stand on the shoulders of giants, with Crichton’s book becoming a bestseller and his signature novel, but it did not “accomplish something as fast as you could.” Production was actually quite the uphill battle, starting with a four-way scramble among studios for the filming rights. Hurricane Iniki also posed a very real threat to the film team as it passed right over the island of Kaua’i – though this did also mean some of the storm scenes were very real.
But the very real storm also destroyed a set meant for when Samuel L. Jackson’s character would be chased and killed by raptors. The rain also caused the animatronic T. rex to malfunction and require frequent drying.
Fortunately, these obstacles, which chaos theory surely would have accounted for, didn’t cause a park-closing disaster, and ended up overcome, so during its 20th anniversary re-release, Jurassic Park became the oldest film in history to surpass $1 billion in ticket sales.
Contributing to overall sales associated with these movies is that unbuttoned shirt scene starring Goldblum. “Now we have to look at pictures of it, and paintings of it,” he mused, though no one quite remembers whose idea the fashion choice was. Even Mattel has a Malcolm-themed product in their lineup.
How will you be celebrating 30 years since life found a way?
