Laura Dern remembers “Jurassic Park” costar Sam Neill in touching statement: ‘I will love you forever’

Leigh BlickleyMon, July 13, 2026 at 3:01 PM UTC

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Sam Neill and Laura DernCredit: Peter Kramer/NBCKey Points -

Laura Dern remembered Sam Neill following his death Monday at 78.

The pair played love interests in the Jurassic Park franchise.

She called him a “beloved lifetime friend.”

Laura Dern is mourning her friend and Jurassic Park costar Sam Neill.

In a statement to Entertainment Weekly on Monday, Dern said Neill was her “beloved lifetime friend,” as they starred as love interests Ellie Sattler and Alan Grant, respectively, in Steven Spielberg’s hit 1993 adventure film.

“Sam was my beloved lifetime friend… He showed me the depths of loyalty, protectiveness and love always with the driest of wit,” Dern wrote in her statement to EW. “He was a true and noble gentleman, wrapped up in my dream leading man. I will love you forever, Dr. Alan Grant.”

Neill died on Monday at 78 “surrounded by family and passed with the dignity that has characterised his whole life,” his family shared.

Dern and Neill reprised their beloved Jurassic Park characters in 2022’s Jurassic World Dominion. Sattler and Grant navigated dangerous, dinosaur-infested environments once again, and their iconic dynamic was reignited. The duo, alongside fellow original cast member Jeff Goldblum, teamed up with new franchise leads Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard.

Laura Dern and Neill in ‘Jurassic Park’Credit: Getty

“This franchise has meant a lot to people growing up and I think Colin [Trevorrow, director] really wanted to bring the nostalgia of the first film back, as well,” Dern told Entertainment Tonight at the time of the movie’s release, noting the importance of her connection with Neill.

Dern was just 23 years old when filming started on the original Jurassic Park and 26 when the movie opened. Neill, on the other hand, was 43 years old during the shoot. Despite their age gap, Dern always felt supported and respected amid their characters’ romance.

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“Well, it felt completely appropriate to fall in love with Sam Neill,” Dern told The Sunday Times about the age gap while promoting Dominion. “And it was only now, when we returned in a moment of cultural awareness about the patriarchy, that I was, like, ‘Wow! We’re not the same age?’”

“I am 20 years older than Laura!” Neill added. “Which at the time was a completely appropriate age difference for a leading man and lady. [The age gap being inappropriate] never occurred to me until I opened a magazine and there was an article called ‘Old Geezers and Gals.’ People like Harrison Ford and Sean Connery acting with much younger people. And there I was, on the list. I thought, ‘Come on. It can’t be true.’”

Sam Neill and Laura Dern in 1995Credit: Vinnie Zuffante/Getty

Of his 2022 reunion with Dern and Goldblum, Neill told Complex, “It was familiar territory. We’re all used to these enormous animatronic scary dinosaurs. We all know our paths. To be in each other’s company after all this time was great. It was four or five months we were stuck with each others’ company. We were lucky to have that time of our lives. We were already friends, we are even firmer friends now.”

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Spielberg also shared a statement on Neill’s death Monday, calling the actor “exceptionally collaborative.”

“It was a stretch for him to play a character who acted as though children were messy and smelly because this was the opposite of the loving father he was to his children,” the statement, shared on Amblin Entertainment’s Instagram, read. “I adored making all the Jurassic movies with him. Along with Laura Dern and Jeff Goldblum, we will always have our Jurassic family and Sam will never be forgotten by us or his many millions of fans around the world.”

on Entertainment Weekly

Original Article on Source

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