Although the role of Dennis Nedry apparently was significantly changed from Michael Crichton’s Jurassic Park novel, it’s difficult to imagine anyone but Wayne Knight as the yellow anorak-wearing, Barbasol can-wielding fan of sweet and salty snacks; who meets a sticky end thanks to a displeased dilophosaurus.
Surprisingly, Knight didn’t even have to audition for the role in what would become one of the biggest and most-beloved blockbusters of all time. Although Nedry doesn’t get a vast amount of screen time, he is pivotal to the plot of Jurassic Park. He is the one who disables the electric fences, allowing the dinos to escape their enclosures.
The reason why Spielberg ended up offering the role to Knight is truly hilarious and should be a more well-known part of Hollywood lore. Spielberg saw Knight in another small role – in the erotic thriller Basic Instinct. It just so happens that Knight is in the most famous scene in that film – the interrogation scene in which Sharon Stone uncrosses her legs. And Knight becomes such a nervous, sweaty mess in the face of this wonderous sight, that Spielberg thought; “what if that was a dinosaur?”
Unfortunately due to Nedry coming a cropper thanks to the determined dilophosaurus, Wayne Knight was not one of the original cast-members invited back for the Jurassic World trilogy.
Jurassic World: Dominion will be released in June of this year and sees Sam Neill, Laura Dern, and Jeff Goldblum reunite to help Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard with a small problem. That problem being the fact that dinosaurs now roam freely across the earth.
If you’re a fan of perilous journeys to exotic places full of danger and excitement, check out our guide to the best adventure movies.