Scarlett Johansson’s excitement about joining the Jurassic Park universe in Jurassic World Rebirth is deeply personal, as it fulfills a childhood dream. A lifelong fan of the 1993 classic, Johansson shared in a recent interview with Vanity Fair that she was so enamored with the Jurassic Park franchise as a child that she even slept in a Jurassic Park-themed pup tent for a whole year. However, when she met Jurassic Park director Steven Spielberg for the first time, she was nervous about revealing just how much she adored the film.
Despite her excitement, Johansson tried to keep her fangirling in check, worrying that Spielberg might perceive her as a “weird stalker.” She recalled, “I was like, ‘He’s going to think I’m this weird stalker.’ I thought, ‘Just be professional. Don’t seem desperate. Don’t mention the tent.’” Instead, she opted to keep quiet about her childhood obsession, only acknowledging her love for the franchise when Spielberg brought it up. In hindsight, Johansson reflected that she probably should have been more open about it.
Now, as Zora Bennett in Jurassic World Rebirth, Johansson plays a stealth operations specialist tasked with a mission to extract dinosaur DNA for humanitarian purposes. She stars alongside Mahershala Ali, who plays a black-ops logistics expert, and Jonathan Bailey, who portrays a paleontologist. The film is set to hit theaters on July 2, 2025, and for Johansson, it represents the culmination of a dream come true—being part of a franchise that has meant so much to her since childhood.
