20 Actors You Didn't Know Almost Starred In Jurassic Park Movies
3. Sigourney Weaver Was Spielberg's Choice For Dr Ellie Sattler
In a pretty dramatic change of direction from the other names mentioned for Ellie Sattler (including Laura Dern herself), Steven Spielberg apparently wanted Alien ass-kicker Sigourney Weaver for Dr Ellie Sattler.
She was in her 40s at the time the film was made, making her a far more believable romantic partner for Dr Grant, but more importantly she would have been a more significant hero in her own right. That's not to say Dern didn't sell Sattler's durability well, but with Weaver there might have been more expectations of her actually fighting off the raptors, rather than fleeing them.
Regardless, she turned down the opportunity and Spielberg moved on to Dern.
To round out the other stars linked to the role, Kristin Davis, Melanie Griffith, Bridget Fonda, Juliette Lewis, Amanda Plummer and Kyra Sedgwick were all reportedly in talks at some stage. Most auditioned, all were overlooked.