Hosting a new program on National Geographic titled Explorer, Jeff Goldblum has transitioned himself into a multi-faceted performer. While his small screen duties have been an education, it is his dual roles on the big screen that has people paying attention in their millions. Most particularly Jurassic World 2 and Thor: Ragnarok.
Sitting down to have a chat with Entertainment Weekly, the 64-year was quizzed about returning to the part of Dr. Ian Malcolm. Last in the role for 1997's sequel Jurassic Park: The Lost World, Goldblum said that he was invigorated by discussions with director J.A. Bayona to come back in the fold. And how long has it been? Give or take, about a twenty year absence from the franchise.
"Off I go in a few weeks to London, where they've been hard at work, and I'll try to contribute something to the plate of dino-entertainment," he began. "I like my character. I think my character is a saucy, sassy man of some integrity and deep thinking. And of course, that whole world continues to be popular, slam-bang, top entertainment. I talked to the director, J.A. Bayona, over the phone. I enjoyed his movie The Impossible with Naomi Watts, and he's something else. I didn't realize he was a good friend of a friend of mine, a director I worked with a while ago in Spain named Fernando Trueba, who's just fantastic. Knowing that the two of them are brethren and brotherly in their friendship makes me feel very good, too."
Popcorn Fodder Well Worth Chewing On
Understanding that the series is a mainstream juggernaut designed to bring in the masses, Goldblum believes that the filmmaker behind the follow up to the 2015 reboot has a narrative that can stand on its own two feet.
"Even though some might say it's popcorn-y entertainment (top-notch, of course), in our conversation he was very focused on the serious issues of greed as it oftentimes comes up in those movies, and the marvels of science and reason and the very fascinating point at which our species finds itself both in real life and in this imaginary world too," he recalled. "I'm very interested in that myself, so I'm looking forward to this. I've got a few things to do. I'm nothing if not conscientious, so I'm enjoying working on it every day."
Quirky Waititi Spoke To Jeff's Sense of Humor
Unable to resist the overtures of Marvel and Disney for the part of the Grandmaster in Thor: Ragnarok, the great lure to sign onto the project would come in the form of Kiwi director Taika Waititi.
"I enjoyed it," he admitted. "I didn’t have scenes with Cate Blanchett, but she was in The Life Aquatic, of course, so we’d been in touch, and I’ve seen her since. I just adore her, so it was great to be in another movie with her, even just by association. The other Hemsworth brother, that now makes two for me, and he couldn’t have been sweeter or more down-to-earth, like the whole family. What I particularly loved is the director, Taika Waititi. He really got me involved in this because I’m a fan of his, from Flight of the Conchords and all his movies, not only Hunt for the Wilderpeople and Boy but especially What We Do In the Shadows."
Awarding Waititi a perfect score for his work, Goldblum explained that he has no idea what lines will end up in the final cut having been given such creative license.
"When we first talked, he said, 'I want you to do your particular version of this character without being comic-y or grandiloquent. I think you should do something that’s in your creative family tree. And also improvise.' He was very interested in improvisation. We came to all those scenes and riffed enjoyably for the time we had. I don’t know what’s gonna come out in the mix because we gave him a whole bunch of different choices, I’ll tell you that. He’s great. Taika Waititi gets 10 Goldblums out of a possible 10 Goldblums."
Source: EW
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