Spielberg: Harrison Ford turned down Alan Grant in Jurassic Park

Steven Spielberg revealed that Harrison Ford was once considered for palaeontologist Alan Grant, saying on the Happy Sad Confused podcast, "Yes, he did, he may not remember that, but I sure do." He added, "I wasn't cross, I was crushed but then Sam Neill came available and he's Alan Grant.

It now belongs to him." At the time, Ford had just come off several Indiana Jones films and was moving into dramas and other action roles, so he may have been reluctant to join another franchise. Few now picture anyone other than Neill as Grant. Opposite Laura Dern and Jeff Goldblum, that central trio has often been described as near perfect casting for the Jurassic Park films.

Spielberg also recalled a harrowing production moment in Kauai, when Hurricane Iniki made landfall at the hotel and the cast and crew sheltered in a conference room 18 feet below sea level, saved from flooding by an 18-foot breakwater.

United States, Kauai

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