Jeff Goldblum Recalled How He Created ‘Goldblumism’ in ‘Invasion of the Body Snatchers’

Invasion of the Body Snatchers actor Jeff Goldblum is one of the most iconic working actors in Hollywood. However, it took some time for him to develop what would become so legendary about him: the “Goldblumisms,” including his pattern of speech. Goldblum once recalled how Invasion of the Body Snatchers created “Goldblumisms” to begin with.

Jeff Goldblum fans can’t get enough of his iconic way of speaking

Nerdist interviewed Goldblum, who talked about his various projects, including Invasion of the Body Snatchers. His signature pattern of speech spoke to fans in various ways. However, fans who get the chance to meet the actor usually want to engage on a level involving his unique way of speaking in movies.

“I know when people do imitations of me, I go ‘Oh yeah, I get [it],'” Goldblum said. “Or when they say, ‘Do it like Jeff Goldblum,’ I can do a kind of imitation of myself. You know, stammer and stutter or something, some version of that.” 

However, Goldblum assured Nerdist that he doesn’t continually milk this signature style all of the time.

“I don’t do it for affect or I haven’t developed it for some kind of, some sort of, uh, ‘thing,’” Goldblum said. “This is just the way it’s kind of developed.”

‘Invasions of the Body Snatchers’ actor Jeff Goldblum once recalled how he created ‘Goldblumism’ on the set

Goldblum told Nerdist that it all started early in his career with Philip Kaufman’s Invasion of the Body Snatchers back in 1978. He remembered the moment quite well, recalling the exact moment where it all started.

“I felt appreciated by, and found myself through the appreciation of, directors, really,” Goldblum said. “I remember Phil Kaufman. [There was] a day on Invasion of the Body Snatchers, 1978, when I said—Nancy Bellicec, my wife, Veronica Cartwright, said to me, ‘Well why have we always thought that they would come in metal ships?’—and I say, ‘I – I – I – I never thought that they would come in – in metal ships.’”

However, Kaufman liked the way that Goldblum utilized his pattern of speech for the Invasion of the Body Snatchers scene. As a result, he knew that he could use that to his advantage in the future.

Goldblum continued: “And the way [Kaufman] appreciated the way I had done that. It wasn’t a big Goldblumism, but I thought, ‘That’s kind of … I sort of … I think I found something.”

The actor had other major moments with other directors, including Paul Mazursky for Next Stop, Greenwich Village. However, Nerdist explained that his “Goldblumism” was a bit too much to replicate in written form.

“Not that I want to put myself into every part, but it became useful,” Goldblum said.

The actor doesn’t put ‘Goldblumism’ into every part

Goldblum has an impressive career that took him from Invasion of the Body Snatchers all the way to Jurassic Park and Wes Anderson’s Isle of Dogs. The director wanted to maintain a certain organic nature to the movie. As a result, Goldblum knew that his iconic pattern of speech wouldn’t fit into Isle of the Dogs. Co-star Liev Schreiber also understood the assignment.

“Wes wasn’t looking for cartoony voices,” Schreiber said. “That’s not what he does. [He wanted something] more idiosyncratic and humanist.”