Laura Dern's Favorite Jurassic Park Quote Is Completely On Point
The original "Jurassic Park" film was groundbreaking in many ways–it was the first film to feature humans alongside computer-generated characters, just to name one (via Smithsonian Mag)–but the film's most enduring legacy might well be the introduction of Dr. Ellie Sattler (Laura Dern).
As a character, Ellie is smart, self-confident, and proudly feminist. She's one of the film's three leads, but she's no damsel in distress. In fact, the film subverts this trope by making both of her co-leads take on traditionally "feminine" roles. Dr. Alan Grant (Sam Neill) has to look after the kids, while Dr. Ian Malcolm (Jeff Goldblum) is the one who needs saving.
Yet she's a lot more than a strong female character. She's inspired countless girls and boys to pursue careers in STEM and other fields. "Little girls and boys have come up to me and said, 'You were the first female character I saw onscreen equal to the men,'" Dern told Time Magazine. "Recently, a woman I deeply admire, the first female Congresswoman in her district, who's a committed supporter of a bipartisan gun bill, told me Ellie Sattler was the reason she went into politics."
Dern is proud of the character's legacy. When she was asked to reprise her for "Jurassic World: Dominion," Dern made sure Ellie was still written as a feminist. So, when Time Magazine asked Dern what her favorite Ellie Sattler quote is, her answer wasn't much of a surprise.
Don't try to tell Ellie Sattler she can't do anything a man can do
Dern's favorite line from "Jurassic Park" comes late in the movie, when Ellie, Malcolm, John Hammond (Richard Attenborough) and Muldoon (Bob Peck) are discussing how to reset the circuit breakers to restore power in Jurassic Park and re-electrify the boundary fences. The job requires running across the compound and past many dangerous dinosaurs. When Ellie volunteers, Hammond hesitates. He insists that he should be the one to go for the sole reason that he's a man–even though he's pushing 70.
"We can discuss sexism in survival situations when I get back," Ellie retorts as she heads out with Muldoon.
"She's confronted with going to take care of everything while certain men need to rest and take care of themselves," Dern told Time Magazine while describing the line. She added that she prefers the line even more than her iconic "women inherit the Earth" quote.
For Dern, while the line was great, it was equally important to show Ellie's vulnerable side. After turning the power back on and escaping the velociraptors, Ellie has an emotional cry. "[Steven Spielberg] and I really discussed what would a human being feel at the end of this, and decided it was really important that she just fall apart, weeping and shaky, having survived this beast and seen trauma and death and a lot of horror in that scene" (via The AV Club).
The "Jurassic Park" franchise can keep adding all the exotic dinosaurs and pulse-pounding set pieces it wants, but for many, Ellie Sattler is the main attraction.