‘Jurassic World Rebirth’ takes the actress from city life to scorpion-filled jungles
Scarlett Johansson has officially joined the legendary Jurassic Park franchise — a dream nearly three decades in the making. The star of the upcoming Jurassic World Rebirth shared her excitement and behind-the-scenes stories in a recent interview on NBC’s “TODAY.”
“It was a childhood dream of mine to be in this movie,” Johansson said. “I’ve been trying to get in the ‘Jurassic’ universe for three decades.”
A childhood dream turned reality
In Jurassic World Rebirth, Johansson plays Zora Bennett, a tough-as-nails mercenary leading a covert mission to retrieve dinosaur DNA from a remote island teeming with prehistoric threats. The action-packed film also stars Jonathan Bailey, Rupert Friend, Mahershala Ali, and Luna Blaise among others.
Johansson, now 40, says her obsession with the franchise began when she saw Jurassic Park in theaters at age 10. “I was completely transfixed, mesmerized, carried away, terrified — all of that stuff,” she said.
Jungles, monsoons, and venomous visitors
Filming took place across exotic locations including Malta and Thailand, with Johansson recounting her time shooting in the heart of the jungle. “The environment was authentic because we were in the middle of the jungle,” she said.
That authenticity brought challenges. “You’d be making coffee at the coffee table and then two minutes later someone would say, ‘You know what they just found there? A scorpion,’” she recalled. “We had a venomous pit crew. Isn’t that crazy?”
Johansson also faced physical challenges, including climbing a set-built rock wall. “It was pretty high up,” she said, but training and support from the rigging crew kept her steady. Her biggest fear? Not heights — but cockroaches. “Thailand had some pretty serious creature critters,” she added.
Filming through the storm
The experience wasn’t all jungle glamour. Shooting during Thailand’s monsoon season proved to be another ordeal. “I watched Mahershala Ali melt like a human candle,” Johansson joked. “I’m from New York. I’ve got to say I’m a city girl.”
Despite the hardships, Johansson says the production’s epic scale made the experience worth it. And as she put it with a laugh: “It turns out that if you harass Frank Marshall enough, you could get a job.”
