Jurassic Park Week: Where are the Jurassic Park dinosaurs now?

While everyone gets over the shock that li'l Tim recently had a bit part in The Social Network as Jesse Zuckerberg's roomie, isn't it time we asked what the real stars of Jurassic Park are up to? And no, I'm not talking about Sam Neill's wine company.

It's always the same story when a giant mega-blockbuster throws a group of unknown actors into the spotlight. Everyone handles the resulting fame in different ways: some thrive on public attention, some shy away from it and many subsequently find it hard to make the right career choices. I caught up with the dinos from Jurassic Park to find out how life has treated them after the film's release.
T-Rex

Trying to capitalise on the popularity of his dual villain/hero role in Jurassic Park led to a flood of offers coming in but T-Rex didn't always choose wisely. Instead he starred in a string of B-movie JP rip-offs, such as Raptor and Carnosaur 1 and 2. Struggling to find decent work afterwards, T-Rex turned to voice acting, providing his lungs for The Land Before Time series, Disney film Dinosaur and 2002's Dinosaur Island, in which he voiced teenager Leo.

Nowadays, T-Rex still continues to do voice-acting work and is even in line to make a cameo in a future episode of The Simpsons, playing Smithers' dinner party date. He does, however, spend most of his time on the convention circuit. "It's great that there's a lot of love for Jurassic Park still out there and conventions are an exciting way for me to give something back to the fans" he said. Signed autographs usually cost in the region of $75.

Velociraptor

Handpicked from the Denver Center Of Performing Arts by Spielberg himself to appear in Jurassic Park, Velociraptor stole every scene and became the biggest star of the film. Many critics praised his "astonishing" debut, highlighting the methodology with which he approached the role. At the time of release, the New Yorker ran a front page asking if Velociraptor was "this generation's Richard Burton".

While Velociraptor prefers not to talk about Jurassic Park these days, considering the film "overhyped and pure nonsense", he has managed to maintain a close friendship with Spielberg and collaborated with him on numerous projects since, including The Lost World: Jurassic Park and Saving Private Ryan. "Steven and I just understand each other," Velociraptor says of the director. "He knows what I'm capable of and I know what he needs to make his vision possible, but we still like to push each other creatively". Next, Velociraptor is following in the footsteps of many other great actors and moving to the small screen, with a starring role in this season's Spielberg-produced TV show Terra Nova. Which is about dinosaurs.

Dilophosaurus

Dilophosaurus had one of the most memorable scenes in Jurassic Park but he doesn't remember the time as being a particularly happy one for him. "I was an angry young dinosaur back then; still trying to find my feet as an actor and trying to work out what I wanted from life". Following the film's release, Dilophosaurus descended in a spiral of drugs and alcohol, getting publicly arrested just two years later for trying to rob a McDonald's of all its ketchup sachets while brandishing a snowboard as a weapon.

Nowadays, Dilophosaurus is six years clean and sober and much happier thanks to a life-changing decision: "I came out in 2006. There was only so much coke I could do before I realised I was just trying to hide a fundamental fact about myself – I'm super gay and fabuloussss." Dilophosaurus now lives with his partner Trent in LA and has moderate success with a cable show about dinosaur accessorising.

Brachiosaurus

Brachiosaurus was originally a soap actor with a recurring role on General Hospital. His part on Jurassic Park was a gateway to a successful Hollywood career and he followed the film with a couple of carefully chosen dramas and indie films to gain credibility as an actor. Unfortunately, in the late 1990s, Brachiosaurus reported a stalker who had been making threats to him and his family. Advised by the police to remove himself from the public eye, Brachiosaurus's career suffered as a result.

Now though, the long-necked, ridge-foreheaded dinosaur is on the comeback trail, with an incredibly mature and critically-acclaimed performance in Lars Von Trier's new controversial film, Abuse, and he recently landed himself a part in Tarantino's latest project. Of the stalking incident, Brachiosaurus is surprisingly objective: "It was scary for me and my family. It got so that I couldn't leave the house, and with my frame and build, disguises just wouldn't work. Still, it is what is and I don't regret my decision – family has to come first". Brachiosaurus divorced his third wife in 2009.

Triceratops

Of all the dinosaurs to feature in Jurassic Park, Triceratops probably had the most emotionally intense scene, which is surprising considering he had no prior acting experience at all. Still, he brought a lot of authenticity to the role (that really is his own big pile of shit seen in the film) and looks back on his time during filming with great fondness, remembering Laura Dern as being "an incredibly generous actress – she really taught me a lot about being in front of the camera". He also remembers hanging out with Jeff Goldblum between scenes: "He was just a great laugh. Constantly doing magic tricks and impressions of David Bowie".

After the film was released, however, Triceratops shunned the limelight and turned his back on acting altogether. "It just wasn't for me," he says. "I just wasn't that interested in Hollywood and all the money and glory that comes with that". In 2002, he moved to England with his now-wife, and runs a small local business in Wandsworth Common cutting keys and repairing shoes.

RAWR! This week on TheShiznit.co.uk is Jurassic Park Week, because it's my favourite film ever and it's getting a limited theatrical re-release on the 23rd September. Be sure to pre-order the Blu-ray boxset, which is released on 24th October.