In the broad view of their respective careers, Scarlett Johansson and Sam Neill would probably be connected by most via their roles in one of the biggest franchises of all time: Jurassic Park. Neill, of course, starred in the original movie, Jurassic Park III, and Jurassic World: Dominion, and Johansson began the new era of the canon last year with Jurassic World Rebirth. Long before they had dinos in common, however, the two actors previously had a chance to work together on 1998’s The Horse Whisperer, and more than a quarter-century later, the Kiwi actor still has some lingering paternal feelings.
Thanks to the new Super Bowl ad in which he is featured, Neill recently got talking about his time in the Jurassic franchise in conversation with Entertainment Weekly, and he was specifically asked about his relationship with Johansson vis-à-vis her new position as the face of the brand. While it’s been nearly two decades since they last had the chance to work together, he has nothing but feelings of fondness towards his former co-star, saying,
I’m very fond of Scarlett. I feel like it’s a family affair here. We were with Kristin Scott Thomas and Robert Redford, and we were out in Montana, and I was playing her dad. So I feel like my daughter, she’s capable of kicking any a–. She gets it from me.
Long before becoming formidable covert ops expert Zora Bennett in Jurassic World Rebirth, Scarlett Johansson played Grace MacLean in The Horse Whisperer – a girl who is involved in a tragic accident while out horseback riding with a friend. Both Grace and the formerly friendly equine are traumatized by the event, but Grace’s mother (Kristin Scott Thomas) learns about a “Horse Whisperer” (Robert Redford) who can help the animal, and his help leads to a healing path for them all.
Johansson is now known for big blockbusters like last year’s Jurassic adventure or all of the movies where she plays Natasha Romanoff a.k.a. Black Widow, but The Horse Whisperer was a massive hit when she was just 14 years old – the movie earning both positive reviews and $186.9 million at the global box office.
Someday seeing Scarlett Johansson and Sam Neill back on the big screen together again would be fun if not just for the trivia (maybe they can plan something for the 20th anniversary of The Horse Whisperer in 2028?). The most obvious path would be Neill’s Alan Grant showing up in a Jurassic World Rebirth sequel, and it’s hard to imagine anyone saying no to that idea after old and new generations from the franchise meeting in Jurassic World: Dominion led to over $1 billion in ticket sales worldwide.