Here’s a fun piece of movie trivia! Tim Curry was considered to play Dr. Ian Malcolm in Jurassic Park.
During Curry’s visit to the Academy’s Margaret Herrick Library before he passed away, he was shown archival casting notes from his career that included some major roles he was considered for but never played.
One of the biggest was Ian Malcolm, the mathematician and chaos theorist who ultimately became one of Jeff Goldblum’s most iconic characters.
The interviewer broke the news to Curry, saying: “So, another place you showed up was in the casting notes for Jurassic Park. They had you on the list to be Malcolm, which ended up being Jeff Goldblin’s role. Do you remember worried about that?”
Curry’s response was wonderfully uneventful. “No. No, none at all.” Curry doesn’t appear to remember the possibility at all.
Still, it’s a fascinating casting what-if. Goldblum made Malcolm completely his own, bringing an eccentric rhythm, dry humor, swagger, and nervous energy to the character. It’s hard to imagine anyone else in the role after seeing his performance.
Curry, however, would have made Malcolm a very different character. Considering Curry’s sharp comic timing, theatrical personality, and talent for giving characters a mischievous edge, his version of the chaos theorist could have been a blast.
Now, just close your eyes and imagine Tim Curry sitting in the back of the Jeep watching a T. rex chase him down.
Goldblum was absolutely the right Ian Malcolm for the movie we got and I loved him in the role, but Curry wandering around Jurassic Park warning everyone about chaos theory is one alternate casting choice I would have loved to see.
