Before Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard tried to avoid being eaten by dinosaurs in the Jurassic
World films, Sam Neill, Laura Dern, and Jeff Goldblum attempted to stay out of the ancient
creatures' claws in 1993's Jurassic Park. And they weren't alone. The adults were joined by the park
owner's grandchildren, Tim and Lex, who were played by Joseph Mazzello and Ariana Richards.
Mazzello, who was born in 1983, would have been around 10 years old when Jurassic Park came out.
Meanwhile, Richards, who was born in 1979, was about 14 at the premiere, although Cosmopolitan
noted that the actress was just 12-years-old when she landed the gig. Both performers were praised
for their onscreen work, and Richards even won a Young Artist Award for her performance.
She was also given the No. 98 spot on VH1's 2014 list of 100 Greatest Child Stars. So it shouldn't
be surprising to find out that Richards continued to work in front of the camera as she got
older. However, the actress eventually left that world behind to pursue another passion.
Ariana Richards showed the world that she had some serious acting chops while appearing in Jurassic
Park, which led to other roles, including a small part on Boy Meets World in 1996
and returning briefly as Lex in 1997's The Lost World: Jurassic Park.
However, at the same time, she was exploring another creative pursuit.
While filming Jurassic Park, Richards would spend her breaks dabbling in art. According to IMDb,
"During breaks from shooting, Ariana painted in watercolor a self portrait of herself,
and co-star Joseph Mazzello, alongside a Brachiosaurus.
She presented the work to Spielberg who had the work framed and placed in his home."
Richards also recreated another famous scene from the movie,
in which her character spots a dinosaur while eating Jell-O. With that kind of talent,
it's not surprising that she earned a college degree in fine art and drama
and has gone on to establish herself as a successful professional artist.
However, that doesn't mean that she's forgotten about her days running away from dinosaurs.
Ariana Richards may no longer be the young actress she was
when she appeared in Jurassic Park way back in 1993, however,
fans of the film still recognize her regularly. She told USA Today in 2018,
"People actually come up to me. I don’t know how,
after 25 years how this happens. I hope it keeps happening for a while."
Richards has often celebrated her time making the iconic movie on social media,
and it's clear that the actress had a lot of fun making the Spielberg flick.
With such amazing memories of her time on the movie, it's no wonder
Richards might be considering returning to the screen to revive her role as Lex.
With at least one more action-packed dinosaur film in the works to keep the Jurassic Park
and Jurassic World franchise rolling, news broke in September 2019 that Laura Dern,
Sam Neill, and Jeff Goldblum would be reprising their roles for Jurassic World III.
Fans excitedly started a campaign to get Ariana Richards and Joseph Mazzello on board to bring
Lex and Tim back to the screen, too. Per Entertainment Tonight,
"According to a source familiar with the situation, 'there are no current
conversations' about Mazzello and Richards joining the film. However, the source says that both are
absolutely open to the opportunity to return to the iconic roles that started their careers."
Plus, in 2018, Richards told SyFy,
"If I were invited to take part in one of those movies, I absolutely would have said yes!
But no, I have not been invited to bring Lex back to those movies,
but if I am, I would be very excited to do it."
"I think the whole thing was really an adventure to shoot."
If the stars do return to the franchise, fans will see that Richards has transformed from
a teenager into a beautiful woman. Gone is her casual braid and the outdoorsy clothes
her character wore to navigate a park filled with dinosaurs. Instead, the actress is ready
to show up at any industry event in simple yet stunning ensembles looking camera-ready.
However, if we end up seeing these fictional siblings back on screen together,
let's hope that Lex doesn't find herself on the receiving end of a dinosaur sneeze.
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