Entertainment Movies Sam Neill Says 20-Year Age Difference with 'Jurassic Park' Costar Laura Dern 'Never Occurred' to Him "Well, it felt completely appropriate to fall in love with Sam Neill," Laura Dern said of her Jurassic Park costar as the pair reunites in the franchise's latest installment Jurassic World Dominion By Glenn Garner Glenn Garner Instagram Twitter Glenn Garner is a Writer/Reporter who works heavily with PEOPLE's Movies and TV verticals. Since graduating from Northern Arizona University with a dual major in journalism and photography, he got his professional start at OUT Magazine, The Advocate and Teen Vogue, and he's since consistently kept his finger on the pulse of the LGBTQ community. His first book The Guncle Guide was released in 2020 and was featured on Katie Couric's list of 100 recommended books of the year. People Editorial Guidelines Published on May 22, 2022 06:39 PM Share Tweet Pin Email Photo: Amblin/Universal/Kobal/Shutterstock Laura Dern is reuniting with Sam Neill on the big screen nearly 30 years after first starring together in Jurassic Park. The Academy Award winner, 55, told The Sunday Times that the nearly 20-year age difference between herself and Neill, 74, "felt completely appropriate" in the 1993 film, during which she was 23 and he was 42. "I am 20 years older than Laura!" Neill said. "Which at the time was a completely appropriate age difference for a leading man and lady! It never occurred to me until I opened a magazine and there was an article called 'Old Geezers and Gals.' People like Harrison Ford and Sean Connery acting with much younger people. And there I was, on the list. I thought, 'Come on. It can't be true.' " See Laura Dern, Sam Neill and Jeff Goldblum Reunite in Thrilling Jurassic World Dominion Trailer "Well, it felt completely appropriate to fall in love with Sam Neill. And it was only now, when we returned in a moment of cultural awareness about the patriarchy, that I was, like, 'Wow! We're not the same age?'" Dern added. Neill also recounted being confused by director Steven Spielberg's choice to cast them together. Jeff Goldblum, Sam Neill and Laura Dern. "Let me talk for Laura, because this is what men do in the patriarchy," he joked. "Laura was a tender age. I'm guessing ... 23? And she was already an exciting actor — she had done David Lynch films. It was no surprise she was asked. But I was completely baffled to be called by Steven. I didn't get it." Along with Jeff Goldblum, they're reprising their roles as Dr. Ellie Sattler (Dern), Dr. Alan Grant (Neill), and Dr. Ian Malcolm (Goldblum) in 2022's Jurassic World Dominion. Goldblum, 69, told PEOPLE that they "totally fell back into step" while filming the sixth installment in the franchise, which is based on the novels by Michael Crichton. RELATED VIDEO: Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom: How Chris Pratt Did His Stunts "We had such a close experience on the first one, and they're of course two of the greatest actors of our time in the world. And so I loved it," Goldblum said last month. "We've stayed in touch over the years, but that was so exciting." Laura Dern Says She's Making Daughter Jaya, 17, Finish School Before Becoming an Actress Director Colin Trevorrow previously assured Entertainment Weekly that the trio will be "major characters from start to finish" and will "have equal screen time" to current franchise stars Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard. Jurassic World Dominion premieres June 10 in U.S. theaters.