Steven Spielberg is looking back on one of Hollywood’s biggest “what could have been” casting stories.
During a recent appearance on the Happy Sad Confused podcast, the legendary director confirmed that Harrison Ford was once in the running to play Dr. Alan Grant in Jurassic Park — and admitted he took the rejection hard.
“Yes, he did,” Spielberg said after host Josh Horowitz asked whether Ford had passed on the role. “He may not remember that, but I sure do.”
Emily Blunt, who was also appearing on the podcast, asked whether Ford’s decision upset him.
“I was crushed,” Spielberg replied.
The part eventually went to Sam Neill, who starred opposite Laura Dern, Jeff Goldblum, and Richard Attenborough in the 1993 blockbuster adaptation of Michael Crichton‘s bestselling novel. Looking back, Spielberg said he wouldn’t change a thing.
“But then Sam Neill came available,” he said. “He’s Alan Grant, and it now belongs to him.”
Given that Jurassic Park went on to become one of the highest-grossing films ever made and launched a franchise that’s still going strong more than three decades later, it’s easy to see why Spielberg feels that way.
The revelation also adds another chapter to the long history of near-misses involving Spielberg and Ford.
Before Indiana Jones: Raiders of the Lost Ark got underway, Spielberg and George Lucas had originally settled on Tom Selleck to play the adventurous archaeologist. Speaking on the IMO podcast with Michelle Obama and Craig Robinson, Spielberg recalled that Selleck had already landed the role.
“We wanted Tom. We gave Tom the part,” Spielberg said, adding with a laugh that the actor probably would have had to shave off his famous mustache.
Selleck’s commitment to CBS ultimately kept him from signing on, opening the door for Spielberg to suggest Ford after seeing an early screening of The Empire Strikes Back.
Lucas initially worried moviegoers would only see Ford as Han Solo, but he eventually sent him the script anyway. The gamble paid off, with Ford going on to play Indiana Jones across five feature films and helping turn the franchise into a pop culture staple with television spinoffs, books, video games, and theme park attractions.
As for Jurassic Park, Spielberg seems content leaving that particular casting what-if in the past. Ford may have turned down the dinosaurs, but the director believes the role ultimately found the actor it was meant for.