In An Alternate Universe, Jim Carrey Played Ian Malcolm In Jurassic Park
At the 1995 AFI Lifetime Achievement Award show in honor of director Steven Spielberg, actor Jim Carrey — one of the biggest movie stars in the world at the time — stood up to give a brief tribute. Carrey was an odd choice, as he hadn't worked with Spielberg, a fact he was quick to point out. Carrey joked that he auditioned for the role of the alien in Spielberg's 1982 film "E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial," and proceeded to display what his audition looked like, i.e. a lot of mugging and a funny voice. He lamented that Spielberg chose a puppet instead and that audiences could tell it wasn't an actor. ("It hurt that film. It hurt it.") Carrey also gave his impression of a velociraptor, implying that Spielberg also rejected his offer to play a dinosaur in "Jurassic Park." "Perfect velociraptor, right? Nothing!" Carrey quipped.
Of course, as it so happens, Carrey did audition for "Jurassic Park," just not for the role of a velociraptor. Syfy recently interviewed Janet Hirshenson, the casting director for "Jurassic Park," and she revealed that Carrey was one of the actors in serious consideration for the role of Ian Malcolm, the character that was ultimately played by Jeff Goldblum.
Hirshenson revealed that "Jurassic Park" was a unique production in that actors rarely met with the director one-on-one, but instead came to record their auditions onto tape and for the casting team. That means, sadly, that Spielberg and Carrey never met. It was all academic anyway, as Goldblum blew everyone out of the water with his audition.
Steven knew he was the one
Hirshenson recalls the audition and even remembered the rising star Carrey. In 1992, when auditions were being held for "Jurassic Park," Carrey was not yet a household name, having then only appeared in films like "Once Bitten" and on the hit sketch comedy series "In Living Color." Carrey wouldn't break out until 1994, when he appeared in "Ace Ventura: Pet Detective," "The Mask," and "Dumb and Dumber" all in the same year. "Jurassic Park" would have been a massive breakout for him at the time. It seems, however, that Jeff Goldblum was better suited for the part. Hirshenson said:
"I auditioned a lot of people. Sort of a wide range and a lot of actors that normally wouldn't come in for just the casting director. Usually, they go right to the director. But being what it was, people came in and just went on tape. We auditioned Jim Carrey for Malcolm and then Goldblum came in and, of course, blew me away. He's Goldblum, nobody's like him. I think Steven pretty quickly also [knew] that was the one."
Of course, the Syfy interviewer wanted to know more about Carrey's audition. Hirshenson recalls that Carrey, clearly eager to land the role, auditioned for a very long time. It seems that he was eager to prove himself as an actor, and, well, who doesn't want to work with a powerhouse director like Steven Spielberg? Hirshenson said:
"He auditioned for a very long time. He was really into it. I think he really wanted the role. He was good, it was a totally different way to go. I remember he came in very enthusiastically."
Comedy or drama?
But did Carrey play into his broad, comedic persona to play the part of Ian Malcolm? Would he have mugged and been a slapstick presence? It seems Carrey had the presence of mind to take the role seriously as an actor, but to play Ian Malcolm more for laughs. Goldblum, of course, is a lighter presence in "Jurassic Park" than some of his more down-to-earth co-stars (Laura Dern, Sam Neill), but not like Carrey would have been. When asked if Carrey gave a slapstick performance, Hirshenson recalls:
"Kind of. The Jim Carrey approach. So yeah, it would have been a little more comedic. Jeff was comedic in his dry, Jeff Goldblum-y sort of way, anyway, but yeah, it becomes a different way to go. But by that time, I think we were pretty much geared into Jeff Goldblum."
Carrey, to this day, has not worked with Spielberg. Goldblum, meanwhile, returned to play Ian Malcolm in the 1997 sequel "The Lost World: Jurassic Park" for Spielberg, as would reprise the role in two of the latter-day "Jurassic World" movies. The actor and the director haven't worked together on any other projects.
Carrey, meanwhile, not only launched his career with his triptych of 1994 hits, but starred as the Riddler in the ultra-successful "Batman Forever" in 1995. In 1996, he starred in the Ben Stiller-directed black comedy "The Cable Guy," for which he received a then-record salary of $20 million. It seemed that Carrey did well for himself even without "Jurassic Park."