Ariana Richards Looks Back At Jurassic Park For Amblin

Ariana Richards, Lex in the Jurassic Park films, recently spoke to Amblin about her work in the film.

From Amblin:

AMBLIN: What was the process of auditioning and being cast in the role of Lex in Jurassic Park like for you?

ARIANA: I was 12 years old and on my way to Disneyland no less, when my agent gets a phone call from Steven Spielberg’s office saying, "Steven wants to meet you today." Of course, I canceled my Disneyland plans to come to [Amblin] and see him… He was so nice, so funny, and so easygoing that I didn’t feel stressed or tense at all. We started chatting about life and things I liked to do. It was amazing that by the end of the visit together, he actually said, "So, Ariana, are you busy this summer?" right then and there, and I said, "no." He said, "Well, then you got the job. You’re Lex." [laughs]

AMBLIN: Had he only seen you on videotape before that?

ARIANA: He saw me in some other work that I’d done as a younger child. He liked my work in Spaced Invaders, this funny little movie….It was my first film and he liked my work. He was aware of me and he asked for me to be put on tape screaming. I hadn’t seen a script at this point. It was all pretty top secret and I just went in to see a casting person to be put on tape. She said, "Look, I want you to imagine that you’re being attacked by a dinosaur and that it’s trying to kill you. I want you to completely let loose and just scream your heart out."

You can read the rest of the interview here.