The Jurassic World Character You Had No Idea Glen Powell Played

Glen Powell is one of Hollywood's true rising stars right now. Over the last several years, he's ascended to leading man status thanks to hits like "Top Gun: Maverick," "Hit Man," and "Anyone But You." Universal even tried to give him a role in last year's "Jurassic World Rebirth," but Powell rejected it. Had he taken the job, though, it actually would have been the actor's second role in this legendary franchise.

Though even die-hard fans of both "Jurassic" and/or Powell would be forgiven for not connecting the dots, the actor previously played a significant character in the animated series "Jurassic World: Camp Cretaceous." The show ran for five seasons on Netflix between 2020-2022, and although a live-action "Jurassic World" TV series hasn't been discussed, the franchise has flourished in the animated realm.

"Camp Cretaceous" follows a group of six teenagers who are chosen for a once-in-a-lifetime experience at a new adventure camp located at Jurassic World on the opposite side of Isla Nublar. However, when dinosaurs break out and wreak havoc across the island, the campers are left stranded.

Season 1 takes place at the same time as the events of 2015's "Jurassic World," itself one of the most successful legacy sequels ever at the box office. Powell voiced Dave, one of the two camp counselors who were heading up this experience for the campers. The other counselor, Roxie, was voiced by Jameela Jamil ("The Good Place"). Powell's character appeared in 14 of the show's 50 episodes, mostly in the first and final seasons.

Fans of "Jurassic Park" and the franchise overall have mixed feelings about many of its big screen follow-ups, particularly "Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom" and "Jurassic World Dominion." This, in turn, is why certain people regard "Camp Cretaceous" as the best "Jurassic Park" sequel altogether. Yes, it's a show designed for kids, but it's made with a lot of love and has a sense of wonder to it. But perhaps most of all, it's a "Jurassic" project that offers something genuinely different from a new perspective.

Indeed, "Camp Cretaceous" has helped to endear the property to a younger generation, which will serve to keep it relevant for years to come. It even got a sequel series titled "Jurassic World: Chaos Theory," which wrapped up its run last year. "Chaos Theory" even did the one thing the "Jurassic World" movies have refused to do, which is let dinosaurs truly run wild throughout the world with people.

All of this to say: The "Jurassic World" animated shows have become important to the franchise, and Glen Powell had his part to play in those proceedings. In a 2020 interview with Entertainment Weekly, the actor explained that the role of Dave was written specifically for him, which made it easier for him to step into those shoes:

"They actually wrote this part for me. So, it was easy and fun for me to go into the booth and play around. But when you're running away from dinosaurs, there are so many different versions of how scared you need to be, so I think I did like 50 different screams and pants and grunts. You get a little lightheaded on the drive home for sure."

"Jurassic World: Camp Cretaceous" is streaming on Netflix.