As The AU Review’s coverage of Jurassic World Rebirth continues, Peter Gray spoke with rising stars Luna Blaise, David Iacono and Audrina Miranda about their entrance into the iconic series; you can read our interview with director Gareth Edwards here.
Starring as siblings Teresa and Isabella Delgado, Blaise and Miranda spoke of building their sisterly bond on-screen, whilst Iacono, as Teresa’s questionably-intentioned boyfriend, revealed which moments were improvised and how he truly views his “scrappy” character, Xavier.
I wanted to ask all of you if you felt like there was a moment during production where you thought, “This is going to be one of those moments that everyone remembers from these films for the next generation?”
Audrina Miranda: I’d say the gas station scene was a really good scene.
Luna Blaise: It’s iconic, yeah. I think there’s three really iconic scenes in the movie. Which is the Titanosaur (scene) when they’re in the really high grass. Obviously, the T-Rex raft scene. I think that’s very iconic. And I think the gas station scene. It’s just, like, three Spielberg moments. Truly.
I was just speaking to Gareth, and he was saying how he tried really hard not to take the style of Spielberg, but he did it incredibly, especially that raft moment. It really brought me back to the original. It was very much a “horror movie” moment. I think we can sometimes forget how inherently scary these movies can be. One of the other things I loved about the film was the family dynamic. I wanted to ask you, Luna, your character is pulled between family and romance, between survival and selfhood. Did you see your character as someone trying to protect others? Or she’s more trying to protect herself?
Luna Blaise: Oh, that’s a good question. I think, honestly, halfway through this movie (Manuel’s character) hurts his leg, and I think (my character) is the leader of the Delgado family for a little bit. I think she’s trying to hold her own. I think she’s also trying to make a little bit of a statement, like, “Anything you can do, I can do.” And, you know, just pushing through. The circumstances are so unbelievable. There’s nothing real. It’s just so crazy. I think for (my character), she’s trying anything she can to keep her family alive and just get out of there. I mean, selfishly for her self, she’s also, like, “I can’t die here.”
And one of the things I like about your character, Audrina, is that I feel like the young characters in these films, they see everything so much more clearer than adults. Was there a moment for you where you felt like your character was the emotional compass of the story? Like she was the one who had it all figured out?
Audrina Miranda: I think the T-Rex raft scene. That was something that Isabella would definitely be able to remember, and she was the only able to see it, because the rest of them were just focusing on paddling. You don’t want to look back and know what’s behind you. So, for her, looking into its eyes, that’s something that was really captivating.
And for you, David, you’re playing someone close to the family, but you’re not in the family. How did you explore the tensions between belonging and proving yourself, and protecting Luna’s character?
David Iacono: Yeah, I don’t know. I think Xavier is not too concerned with proving himself to anybody. I don’t think that is really his M.O. I think his motivation is kind of a little more simple than that, and a little more innate within himself that he just cares about Teresa a lot. And because of that, he cares about Reuben (Manuel Garcia-Rulfo’s character) a lot, and he cares about Isabella a lot. I think that’s just kind of who he is. He’s a simple guy, even though he comes off as lethargic, weird, itchy, scrappy, gross dude (laughs). He’s got a pure heart. And I don’t think he’s really worried about proving himself too much. I think he just cares about these people.
And on the topic of caring about things, I don’t think anybody’s going to walk out of this movie not loving Dolores. When it comes to the dinosaur effects, how much was animatronics? How much was CGI? Was it difficult to act opposite…nothing?
Audrina Miranda: They had an animatronic, and it looked so real. It moved. It made noises. It moved just how I think a dinosaur would move. It felt like I think how a dinosaur would feel. It was amazing to have that on set to help me act a little bit more and know exactly where she is. But at some points it was raining, and I don’t think Dolores was made for the rain at that point. So they would usually have a blue tennis ball or something.
I’m guessing they learned from the first film. Apparently the T-Rex animatronic turned on by itself when it rained and scared everybody. Terrifying! And with the three of you, did you discuss with Gareth about building the relationship? One of the the things I liked about the three of you was that it felt genuine. Were there a lot of conversations? Or was it just something just built from the script?
Luna Blaise: Me and Manuel had a lot of conversations between the two of us, like our little backstory. Why we’re there, why there is so much tension between us, and why do you hate my boyfriend so much? Things like that. And the fact that our mother isn’t there, why aren’t we with her? Why is it just us three? There are a lot of different moments that we can build off one another and talk among ourselves, which only helps our characters more. I think there was definitely an understanding as to why we’re there.
Audrina Miranda: It had in the script that maybe we can have a little close bonding moment right there, but I think with all of us, we took it to this good level of feeling it was real life and we’re actually bonding in this moment. There’s one scene in the film where me and David, I’m like shaking my head “no”, or something, and that wasn’t in the script.
Luna Blaise: I have to give kudos to David, because what a lot of people don’t know is a lot of his scenes, a lot of his lines in the movie are improv. He really spoke off the cuff. Was the weed line improv? You get so many laughs! So many laughs.
David Iacono: I appreciate that a lot. I think I only felt comfortable because you guys made me feel comfortable enough.
Luna Blaise: Honestly, I was gonna say, as much as this is a big budget blockbuster hit, and it had the advantages of filming on location and all of that, it was almost like we were filming a low budget indie film. Like, genuinely. I’m not even kidding. It was the actors, Gareth, the camera operators, focus lens, boom operator and a puller. That was it. Everyone else was in the bushes in the background. The whole world that was built felt so intimate. It was really, really special.
Jurassic World Rebirth is screening in Australian theatres from July 3rd, 2025. It will release in the United States on July 2nd.
