Jeff Goldblum Confirms His Jurassic World 2 Role is Small

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Jeff Goldblum is coming back to play fan favorite character Ian Malcolm in the action movie sequel Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom, but the actor has now confirmed it will only be a small appearance. Goldblum last played Malcolm in The Lost World: Jurassic Park, skipping out on 2001’s Jurassic Park III and 2015’s franchise reboot Jurassic World.


Only minor performer B.D. Wong returned from the original Jurassic Park cast when the franchise was brought back to life for Jurassic World, which obviously didn’t miss the original actors, as it would go on to gross $1.6 billion worldwide. The second Jurassic World film will tie itself a little more securely to the original trilogy by bringing back Goldblum’s glasses-rocking, Chaos Theory-specializing mathematician Malcolm, a role that (thanks in large part to the internet’s fascination with a certain picture of him with his shirt open) helped make Goldblum an unlikely sex symbol.


Unfortunately for those who were hoping for a big heaping helping of Malcolm in Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom, Goldblum confirmed in an interview with Empire Podcast that his role will not be very large. Goldblum said:

 

“It’s small… who knows, they may cut me out entirely! But if I stay in I’ll be a sprig of parsley or a little garnish, hopefully with some impact!”


Goldblum talked about the return of Ian Malcolm in another recent interview, teasing that his character would be commenting on the action with his signature “wry irony” and “deep, wise, passionate conviction.” Malcolm was used by Michael Crichton in the original Jurassic Park books as an ironic commentator, someone who reacted with a certain detachment and thereby took on the audience’s point-of-view, and the character served the same role in the movies.


If one is looking for an actor to fire off ironic observations about chaotic activity, Goldblum is arguably the best person you could possibly sign up. At one point the actor had ascended to leading man status in Hollywood, reaching the pinnacle of his powers in David Cronenberg’s The Fly, but later his star dimmed and he settled into a career as one of the most valuable character actors in the business. 

Goldblum brings wit, intelligence and sly humor to every movie he graces, even questionable blockbuster fare like Independence Day. 

Goldblum’s ability to always be good, regardless of the quality of the material he’s playing, is in itself an impressive talent (he even survived Mortdecai more-or-less intact).


Goldblum next adds his particular special off-the-wall brand of garnish to this year’s highly anticipated MCU entry Thor: Ragnarok, playing the enigmatic, amazingly costumed Grandmaster. Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom wrapped filming in July and a trailer is expected to be arriving at some point in the near future, perhaps along with Star Wars: The Last Jedi.