‘Jurassic Park’: Jeff Goldblum Improvised That Famously Hot Scene from Original Film

It’s safe to say most fans of Jurassic Park remember the bare-chested Jeff Goldblum scene from the 1993 film. Perhaps it was hard to tell when it was happening how truly iconic it would be today, but it turns out it was an unscripted decision by Goldblum that led to Dr. Ian Malcom becoming what some fans would argue is the movie’s sexiest character.

Goldblum is aware the scene is a favorite from all the various movies for some watchers. It did inspire its own Funko Pop! figure and a colossal statue, after all. The actor once revealed what led to his choice and whether he thinks the scene is as sexy as so many of his admirers seem to believe.

Jeff Goldblum broke down how his famous shirtless scene from ‘Jurassic Park’ came to be  

While speaking to IGN in 2018, Goldblum revealed that the scene in question was not in the script. He recalled some of the moments leading up to the decision to have him unbutton his shirt.

“I can’t even remember much,” he started before describing some of the sequence. He noted that his character was injured after being bumped by movie villain — T-Rex. Plus, they were supposed to be in Costa Rica in the film, where he guessed it would be hot.

When it came to the actual moment, Goldblum said he didn’t remember if director Steven Spielberg told him to or if he made the decision himself, but he unbuttoned his shirt. After joking that he asked for body oil, he clarified “there was some natural sweat going on.”

And that’s how a sweaty, open-shirted Goldblum became part of cinema history from that moment forward.

Jeff Goldblum recreated the scene in 2020

In 2020, Goldblum paid tribute to the scene by recreating it when he was nearly 70. But he seemingly only did it for a good reason — to encourage voting.

Of important note, Goldblum has also shared his opinion on the sexiness of the moment. He said to IGN, “No, there was nothing sexy going on there.”

In the end, he concluded he wasn’t quite certain how the scene developed or why it resonated with fans the way it did — and still does. He said, “I don’t know how this shirtlessness came to be. I don’t know.”

But just because he can’t explain it doesn’t mean it doesn’t make him happy. He pointed out how his image inspired a Funko Pop! doll, asking excitedly, “Did you see that – with me and my shirt?”

A colossal Jeff Goldblum statue was displayed for the thirsty masses – but only for a short time in 2018

After 25 years as a fan-favorite, someone in London decided to commemorate the coincidental movie moment with a giant statue of the open-shirted wonder. It appeared near the Tower Bridge – which is a world-famous historic landmark. So, tourists came to see the Tower of London and were probably surprised to find the statue included in the historically scenic view.

The monument portrayed a bronzy-looking Goldblum as Ian Malcolm, posed with an unbuttoned shirt and in the famous sprawled position. While the statue drew plenty of spectators eager to pose for pictures, it was only briefly displayed in 2018.  

Goldblum gave a nod to the display by giving it “10/10 Goldblums” on his Instagram. While the physical statue was removed after a short time – it is memorialized in image in many places on the internet.

So, as it turned out, that one off-the-script choice would find Goldblum sculpted — literally and figuratively — into the cultural landscape.