There it was! Childlike wonder, shock, and human vulnerability. I mean, literally, he collapsed on the ground in awe. All occurring during the first few minutes of that iconic film, Jurassic Park. Dr. Alan Grant (actor Sam Neill) had just seen a dinosaur!
Sam Neill died this week, but his 1995 personification of Jurassic Park’s Dr. Alan Grant, has lived on, and on, and on, and on…..For heaven sakes, I’m not making fun of Sam Neill, or even his beloved, alter ego, Dr. Alan Grant, who, by now is an international cinematic icon. No way.
Yet, here I sit, pondering and pondering the sheer cascade of RIP Sam (or Alan Grant) digital and traditional media posts, falling like heavy rain during hurricane season. In my mind, I’ve compared the volume of RIP Sam Neill versus RIP Robert Redford messaging, and have come to the conclusion that Sam’s winning. Wow, versus Robert Redford, of all people. Pretty amazing!
What is it about Dr. Alan Grant/Sam Neill that triggered this incredible cascade of condolences? Oh my, I can’t forget to mention that now-classic, Jurassic Park, musical overture, part and parcel of the RIP outpourings.
Here’s my non-evidence based theory regarding all the emotional adulation pouring down. It’s the guilelessness of a child, passing over Alan/Sam‘s face when seeing his first dinosaur. Allowing his body to collapse at the sheer enormity of finding there’s actually a Tyrannosaurus Rex in Jurassic Park. Completely unembarrassed in fully displaying the panoply of his feelings, some quite childlike, including stumbling over his words. ‘Tis Dr. Grant/Sam Neill in his human fullness.
Childlike wonder, expressed by an adult, however, can be downright embarrassing. There are times when I have a tendency to mask my explicit childlike reactions. Collapsing on the ground in absolute wonder? Ummm, don’t think so. For heaven sakes, I’m an adult!
Whoa, whoa! Yes, I’m an adult, but still in possession of my own treasure trove of childlike reactions regarding the appearance of wonder. Why shouldn’t I express my feelings, aside from cultural embarrassment. (Eeek! She’s doing….what?)
So, y’all, here’s to Dr. Alan Grant/Sam Neill for allowing the Jurassic Park character to express the full range of his human light. No embarrassment, just wholly human, like the rest of us.
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