The Big Problem Jurassic Park Caused For Wayne Knight On Seinfeld

1993's "Jurassic Park" from director Steven Spielberg is undoubtedly one of the most influential films to ever hit the big screen. From its host of quotable lines that live on in pop culture to this day to the cutting-edge technology it employed to bring long-extinct dinosaurs of all shapes and sizes to life, its contributions to the entertainment landscape cannot be understated. Not to mention, it included solid performances from the likes of Sam Neill, Laura Dern, and Jeff Goldblum as Dr. Alan Grant, Dr. Ellie Satler, and Dr. Ian Malcolm, respectively, who will all return to the franchise in 2022's "Jurassic World: Dominion."

On the other hand, one name that left an impression on "Jurassic Park" moviegoers but won't make a return any time soon is Dennis Nedry: a goofy computer programmer at the titular amusement park whose sneaky pursuit of a paycheck caused the film's many dinos to escape their habitats. He eventually paid for his treachery when a rogue dilophosaurus turned him into a snack, but he had set the Isla Nublar incident in motion all the same. Famed comedic actor Wayne Knight was the man responsible for the side character, even though it presented a big issue with another project he was working on simultaneously.

Here's how "Jurassic Park" gave Wayne Knight trouble on the set of "Seinfeld."

As "Jurassic Park" ramped up production, "Seinfeld" was still very much a steady presence on the small screen. Season 4 was unfolding as principal photography on Spielberg's prehistoric epic continued, and future seasons of Jerry Seinfeld's unforgettable sitcom were in development. Therefore, Wayne Knight had to pull double duty as Dennis Nedry and Newman: Jerry's arch-nemesis, Kramer's (Michael Richards) close friend, and a staunch employee of the United States Postal Service. It's one thing to balance two long-term jobs as an actor, but it's a whole other can of worms when one project imposes itself on the other.

The problem came from one of Nedry's final moments in "Jurassic Park" during his fatal encounter with the dilophosaurus. Before it devours him, the creature spits a sticky, purple liquid on his face and shirt, which just so happened to stain. As Knight himself recalled in an interview with ABC News, one night when he went to film a "Seinfeld" episode during the "Jurassic Park" shoot, he told the creator of the dinosaur about the staining issue. "He [dinosaur creator] goes, 'Yeah, it'll do that'...So there was a make-up problem going back to TV, we had to like cover the spot...and they basically said, 'Don't blink, because we'll do it again.'"

When it comes to 1990s media, "Jurassic Park" and "Seinfeld" are both titans of their respective mediums. Wayne Knight was a highlight of both, and it's a good thing that his unintentional purple-ness for one didn't take away his ability to star in the other.