‘Jurassic Park’ Star Ariana Richards Recreates Iconic Shot 30 Years Later

30 years ago, as of June 11, Jurassic Park changed cinematic history. The movie, directed by Steven Spielberg, represented a major triumph in different filmmaking techniques and stands out as a thrilling book-to-film adaptation. For every memorable quote, there’s an equally iconic frame, even without a single dinosaur in sight. Ariana Richards, a child actor who featured prominently in the first Jurassic Park, recreated her own memorable moment three decades later.

Today 43, Richards was just 12 when she and her film brother, played by Joseph Mazzello, crossed the threshold into their grandpa’s Jurassic Park. Things turned perilous fast and when the kids’ safety seemed secured, the survivors realized danger was fast approaching thanks to a warning delivered in jello. As the movie turns 30, Richards recreated the moment and it’s as effective as ever!

Ariana Richards recreates her iconic ‘Jurassic Park’ jello scene

As a franchise, Jurassic Park has stayed relevant to this day, in part thanks to the Jurassic World trilogy, which just released its final entry, Dominion, in 2022, and thanks to the sheer staying power of the original entry that spared no expense.

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With fans of the series as ravenous as ever, the official TikTok for Jurassic World shared a video on the big anniversary, calling it “A duet 30 years in the making. #JurassicPark30 #Dinosaurs #JurassicPark.” The top half of the clip shows the original footage of Richards’ character Lex holding a spoonful of green jello; she pauses with the spoon halfway to her mouth as tremors send ripples through the dessert, a sign that a large, dangerous dino is nearby. The lower half of the clip shows the same thing – but this time, it’s Richards today, as an adult, complete with jello of the same bright green color.

Keeping to her roots in a different way

Richards started her acting career in 1987 with an episode of The Golden Girls. After that, she alternated between television and film, just slightly favoring TV shows. She had a cameo appearance in The Lost World: Jurassic Park in ’97 but was noticeably absent from Jurassic World: Dominion, which featured returning stars Sam Neill, Laura Dern, and Jeff Goldblum.

Ariana Richards, who played Lex in Jurassic Park, painted this watercolor portrait of herself. pic.twitter.com/RgiYCRyCnu

— TheCriticalReviews (@CritiReview) May 19, 2018

However, that wasn’t due to any resentment toward the series. Rather, Richards is dividing her work time between two fronts. Her latest acting credit was 2013’s Battledogs. In the meantime, she’s been focusing on her work as an artist. A winner of several Young Artist Awards, Richards made a self-portrait of her iconic Jurassic Park jello moment and that marked the start of her work as an artist.

“During the filming of Jurassic Park I was inspired to create a watercolor that I did shortly thereafter, titled Raptor Vision,” she reflected. She truly spared no expense!

@jurassicworld #duet with @Jurassic World A duet 30 years in the making. #JurassicPark30 #Dinosaurs #JurassicPark ♬ original sound – Jurassic World