The world-renowned blockbuster series 'Jurassic', which has thrilled audiences since <Jurassic Park> to <Jurassic World>, is returning in the summer of 2025 with a fresh new look. On the eve of the release of <Jurassic World: New Beginnings>, the film's stars Scarlett Johansson, Jonathan Bailey, Rupert Friend, and director Gareth Edwards visited Korea. The director and actors shared their thoughts about the film at the press conference for <Jurassic World: New Beginnings> (hereafter <New Beginnings>) held at the Four Seasons Hotel Seoul on July 1st.
"I Had Seven Kinds of Kimchi for Breakfast"
First, the stars of <New Beginnings> shared their impressions of visiting Korea. Scarlett Johansson, who returned to Korea after eight years, said, "I am excited and happy to be back in Korea. I went to Myeongdong in the morning to buy some skincare products and had seven kinds of kimchi for breakfast. I am looking forward to meeting Korean fans tonight, as they show so much love and hospitality." Jonathan Bailey, who visited Korea for the first time, praised Korean fans, saying, "I heard that Korean fans are the best in the world," which lightened the atmosphere of the press conference. The actors also expressed their fandom for the 'Jurassic' series. Scarlett Johansson shared, "I feel really lucky. I am so happy and honored to be part of the 'Jurassic' universe. I still vividly remember the moment I watched <Jurassic Park> (1993) with my family when I was 10 years old. (This project) has made my childhood dream come true in every way. I was glad to be able to influence a work I love."
"It Was Important to Unite as a Cast"
The actors revealed what they considered important while portraying their characters in this film. Scarlett Johansson first mentioned, "Zora is a character with a long career as a mercenary. But now, she is at a turning point in her life and is experiencing burnout. While reading the script, I could understand the sense of loss Zora is going through and the situation she is in, and I tried to express that." Rupert Friend, who plays Martin, an executive at a global pharmaceutical company who starts a project to extract dinosaur DNA, said, "Each character in the film is different, and their motivations for participating in the project are also different. However, we felt camaraderie while making this film and developing the story. It was important to unite as a cast." Jonathan Bailey, who plays the paleontologist Henry, shared, "When I found out I would be playing a paleontologist, I also learned that Henry is a character with passion. I had to express the wonder he feels about dinosaurs and nature well. They say 'nerds' are cool. I think those nerds are amazing because they spend their lives researching something. Henry ends up meeting dinosaurs, and as a fan of the 'Jurassic' series, my situation of being in this film is similar to Henry's situation."
Scarlett Johansson also shared the difficulties she faced during filming. She said, "The hardest part was not being able to see the actual dinosaurs and having to act while looking at a tennis ball on a stick. I had to maintain tension while doing that. There were also high-tension action scenes, and when the action signal was given, I had to show a determined look, and if there was a camera issue and we had to wait, I had to relax and then get tense again, which was difficult. The same goes for scenes where I had to express wonder and amazement. However, the other actors helped each other maintain immersion, and we were able to finish filming safely."
The 'New Jurassic World' with Ecological Sensitivity
<New Beginnings> showcases breathtaking natural landscapes, including the vast Atlantic Ocean, mangrove forests, and steep cliffs. The director alternated between set shooting and actual location shooting to capture the vividness of the natural scenery on screen. The main spatial background of the film, 'Saint Hubert Island', was also filmed in Thailand. The director shared an on-set episode that occurred while filming the natural scenery at this press conference for the first time. "Now that filming is over, I think I can talk about it. When Scarlett and the other actors were filming a scene where they were crossing a swamp in the jungle, someone suddenly shouted. When I looked over, a local staff member was pulling a venomous snake out of the water. At the time, I thought the actors might not want to shoot, so I kept it a secret, but now the actors are finding out about it." The other two actors, who were with Scarlett Johansson when they first heard the behind-the-scenes story in Seoul, could not hide their surprised expressions.
Meanwhile, <New Beginnings> returns to the essence of the series while inheriting the thematic consciousness of Steven Spielberg's <Jurassic Park> (1993). The themes of humanity's uncontrollability over nature and the dangers of science and technology from <Jurassic Park> continue in <New Beginnings>. Steven Spielberg participated in the production of this work and actively exchanged opinions with the director. Gareth Edwards spoke about the process of working with Steven Spielberg, saying, "Steven Spielberg is my hero. He is like Santa Claus. It was so amazing to meet with him. While video calling Spielberg, we discussed the theme of this movie, and we talked about how 99.99...% of life on Earth has gone extinct. Our movie is an entertainment film, but we wanted to hide an important message within it. I wanted to talk about what humans need to pay attention to in the relationship between humans and nature." As the director said, the film contains an ecological perspective. He aims to take the 'Jurassic World' series in a new direction by incorporating ecological sensitivity. <New Beginnings> explores ways for dinosaurs and humans to coexist in the 'New Jurassic Era', where dinosaurs are dying due to climate crises and diseases. It also reveals a balanced view of fear and wonder that humans have towards nature.
