The roar of a Tyrannosaurus rex isn’t just the sound of a prehistoric predator; for a new generation of actors, it’s the sound of a Hollywood legacy. Luna Blaise, star of the epic hit Jurassic World: Rebirth, is among the latest to join this iconic franchise, an experience she describes as nothing short of an honour.

“It’s really truly a one-of-one franchise,” Blaise said in an interview in support of the digital release of Jurassic World: Rebirth. “It’s just indubitably the biggest franchise that there could be. So having a small minuscule part within that massive situation is just something to be very honoured by.”

The film follows Zora Bennett (Scarlett Johansson) as she leads a team of skilled operatives to the most dangerous place on Earth, an island research facility for the original Jurassic Park. Their top secret expedition involves securing genetic material from dinosaurs whose DNA can provide life-saving benefits to mankind. As the expedition becomes more risky, they soon make a shocking discovery that’s been hidden from the world for decades. Directed by Gareth Edwards, the film also stars Jonathan Bailey, Mahershala Ali, Rupert Friend and more.

On-Set Secrets and Easter Eggs

Being part of such a storied franchise comes with a few perks, including the opportunity to pay homage to the film’s roots. Blaise revealed that director Steven Spielberg has a personal tradition of including a pair of Converse sneakers in each of his films, a tradition that continued with her character in this film.

“I got the Converse, which is really cool,” she said. Additionally, the film’s wardrobe team helped her choose a vintage band T-shirt that reflected the era of the original Jurassic Park movie. “We ended up doing David Bowie,” she noted, a cool nod to the 1990s and the music of the time.

The Challenge and Beauty of Filming in Thailand

For Jurassic World: Rebirth, the production crew went to extraordinary lengths to bring the story to life, a fact Blaise experienced firsthand while filming in the stunning backdrop of Thailand. The film took its cast and crew to some of the country’s most remote and breathtaking coastal and jungle properties, and the journey was often as challenging as the scenes themselves.

“Going to the locations and just seeing the work and the effort of building those… the work that went into not only just finding the locations, but getting to where you have to film at these locations was insane,” Blaise recalled. She describes one particularly memorable experience filming in the Bat Caves, where a simple set of stairs had to be constructed to reach the filming location. “They built stairs that climbed up a mountain to get to the location,” she said. “Like, it was insane. It was so crazy filming here. It was insane, but beautiful.”

Facing the Rex: A Full-Circle Moment

One of the film’s standout sequences involves Blaise’s character coming face-to-face with a T. rex, a scene that for her was a “full-circle moment.” The scene was an international effort, filmed across three different countries: Malta, Krabi and England. David Iacono, who shares the screen with Blaise in the sequence, detailed the difficulty of filming in the frigid water of the London portion of the shoot.

“I mean, the temperature of the water after we are flipped out of the raft. When we flip out of the raft, that’s when we’re in London and the water was freezing cold,” he said. “We had two wetsuits on and then our costumes over it, and even with the two wetsuits, so to be able to concentrate on the dinosaur that is chasing us and on each other and our marks where we’re supposed to end up…” Blaise added, “It was freezing. The paddle was hard too.”

To prepare for the numerous water-based scenes, Blaise and Iacono underwent rigorous training to operate the raft. It’s a skill that Blaise is still grateful to have acquired, showcasing the dedication and preparation that went into bringing the high-octane action of Jurassic World: Rebirth to the big screen.

With the digital release of Jurassic World: Rebirth, audiences can go even deeper with over one hour of exclusive content, including never-before-seen deleted scenes with extra dinosaur mayhem, an alternate opening, a making-of documentary detailing the film’s jaw-dropping visuals and sound design. 

Jurassic World Rebirth is now available on digital platforms to own or rent and on 4K UHD, Blu-Ray & DVD September 9

Feature image: photographed by Soo Park