Movies - TV
The Raiders Of The Lost Ark Pilot That Rescued Jurassic Park’s Cast & Crew
By WITNEY SEIBOLD
When Indiana Jones (Harrison Ford) escapes from the ancient temple in “Raiders of the Lost Ark,” he reaches a seaplane piloted by Jock, who is played by Fred Sorenson.
Sorenson was chosen for the film due to his expertise as a professional pilot. Jock remains his sole acting credit, as he resumed his career as a commercial airline pilot.
Per Entertainment Weekly, Sorenson accidentally met Stephen Spielberg on the set of “Jurassic Park,” where he assisted Spielberg with his aviation skills.
At 4 a.m. in his hotel, Spielberg was abruptly awakened and informed that Hurricane Iniki, the largest in Hawai'ian history at the time, was approaching his current location.
Sorenson and producer Kathleen Kennedy coincidentally crossed paths when Spielberg and his crew were stranded on the island of Kauai. As he did with Indy, he flew Spielberg home.
Spielberg explained, “Kennedy jogged to the airport. She found some guy about to leave on a small private single-engine aircraft.”
Spielberg discussed his awe, stating, “He was the pilot that was in our movie and he just happened to be a pilot of a four-engine 707, a cargo plane and he was between flights.”