Jurassic World: Dominion is the latest film in the Jurassic Park/Jurassic World franchise, and brings together several characters from the Jurassic Park movies and the Jurassic World movies.
One of those returning characters is Claire Dearing, with Bryce Dallas Howard reprising her role, having played her in both Jurassic World (2015) and Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom (2018).
But while Howard, 41, has always spoken highly of working on these projects, unfortunately, it seems that prior to filming Jurassic World Dominion things weren’t so positive for her.
In a new interview with Metro, the Jurassic World Dominion actress has revealed that the studio, Universal Pictures, asked that she lose weight before filming started, but that director Colin Trevorrow came to her defense.
Here’s what she had to say:
“What being in this third film allowed, how do I say this, how do I say this, how do I say this… [I’ve] been asked to not use my natural body in cinema. On the third movie, it was actually because there were so many women cast, it was something that Colin felt very strongly about in terms of protecting me… because the conversation came up again, ‘We need to ask Bryce to lose weight.’”
She continued:
“[Colin] was like, ‘There are lots of different kinds of women on this planet and there are lots of different kinds of women in our film’. I got to do so many stunts that wouldn’t have been possible if I had been dieting.”
However, clearly Howard’s experience wasn’t marred by certain expectations, as she also said: “I’m really thrilled [at] all the action I got to do, and I got to do it with my body, she was at her maximum strength, and I hope it is just yet another indication of what’s possible.”
When it comes to action sequences, Howard isn’t wrong - Jurassic World Dominion might be her most physically demanding role yet, as one sequence in particular sees her jumping between rooftops to evade dinosaurs.
Bryce Dallas Howard remains one of the stronger elements of the Jurassic World Trilogy. Not only is she one of the more interesting characters, she also goes through something of a “motherhood” arc across all three films.
And like all the other female characters in Jurassic World Dominion - and the rest of the Jurassic series, for that matter - she is an incredibly strong female hero, and as such, an excellent role model to young woman.
So here’s to hoping we see her character return for a future installment, or perhaps even a live-action TV series. While several other studios continue to insert “woke” politics into their projects, it’s refreshing to see strong female characters like Claire Dearing on the big screen.
Unfortunately, though, given all the negative criticism the latest sequel has been barraged with, this is probably something that has been overlooked. Although its box office figures might suggest otherwise…
Jurassic World Dominion has now made $999 million worldwide. While there are no plans for a sequel, producer Frank Marshall, and even director Colin Trevorrow, have hinted at more future material.
Jurassic World: Dominion is described as the “epic culmination to the entire series” and the “end to the Jurassic era”. As per the official Jurassic World: Dominion website, here’s the synopsis for the film:
From Jurassic World architect and director Colin Trevorrow, Dominion takes place four years after Isla Nublar has been destroyed. Dinosaurs now live—and hunt—alongside humans all over the world. This fragile balance will reshape the future and determine, once and for all, whether human beings are to remain the apex predators on a planet they now share with history’s most fearsome creatures.
Jurassic World Dominion, from Universal Pictures and Amblin Entertainment, propels the more than $5 billion franchise into daring, uncharted territory, featuring never-seen dinosaurs, breakneck action and astonishing new visual effects.
Jurassic World: Dominion stars Bryce Dallas Howard (Claire Dearing), Chris Pratt (Owen Grady), Isabella Sermon (Maisie Lockwood), Omar Sy (Barry Sembène), Mamoudou Athie (Ramsay Cole), BD Wong (Henry Wu), Campbell Scott (Lewis Dodgson), DeWanda Sykes (Kayla), Jeff Goldblum (Dr. Ian Malcolm), Sam Neill (Dr. Alan Grant), and Laura Dern (Dr. Ellie Sattler).
The Jurassic World Dominion “Extended Cut” is now available for purchase on DVD, Blu-ray, and Digital. The film will include an additional 14 minutes of never-before-seen footage, while incorporating the Jurassic World Dominion prologue that Universal Pictures released onto YouTube late last year.
