JACK HORNER ON JP TRILOGY
By Dan, Wednesday 16 October 2002 at 04:51 PM :: #337
It seems that Malcolm of JP Database managed to get a short interview with Jack Horner, the well known paleontologist who acted as a consultant on all three Jurassic Park movies. Personally, I think that Horner's career has gone downhill ever since his involvement with the films, but I guess a news reporter isn't allowed to give his opinion. At any rate, here's the scoop:
Q: How much of a difference was it working with Joe Johnston in JP3, than Steven Spielberg in the other films?
A: I like both of the directors a lot. But Joe Johnston is very interested in paleontology and has come out to the field every summer for the last three years. So he and I have become very good friends. Steven, is a good guy, but I don't know him personally as well as Joe.
Q: What species are the 'compys' in The Lost World and Jurassic Park 3 based off? Do you think it was really possible for the compys to have been pack hunters?
A:Compsognathus, and no, I don't think its likely they were pack-hunters.
Q: Were there any dinosaur characteristics that you did not like or had a problem with in the JP trilogy but were still used because Spielberg/Johnston wanted them?
A: T-rex runs too fast, and none of the dinos are colorful enough.
Q: In the making of JP you seemed rather upset with the idea of the raptor sticking out their tongues like snakes because it portrayed them more like reptiles than birds...were you as upset with the Dilophosaurus having a neck frill like an existing reptile today?
A: No, there is no evidence suggesting that it didn't have a frill. That is fictional license, but we know that dinosaurs didn't have forked tongues.
Q: How long have you believed that Tyrannosaurus was a scavenger? Did you ever try to influence them to show any of the dinosaurs scavenging in Jurassic Park and/or The Lost World?
A: For about 10 years. Yes, and T-rex is portrayed as a scavenger in JP3.
It sounds like Jack wasn't all that thrilled about this interview. Perhaps its because few people take him seriously anymore after his involvement with the films.