glimpse at a living dinosaur. This was done at the suggestion of Neill, who considered it a realistic response for someone who has devoted their research to dinosaurs. Spielberg made Grant and Sattler a couple in order to add tension to the film. He also felt that Sattler did not get enough attention in the book. She is played in the film by Laura Dern. There is a 20-year age difference between her and Neill, which goes unmentioned in the film and its sequels. Neill said this was "a completely appropriate age difference for a leading man and lady" at the time. Jurassic Park III When Neill took the role as Grant, he signed on to appear in two potential sequels. Jurassic Park III, released in 2001, marked the first time that Neill had reprised one of his roles. Reviews had been critical of the characters in the first film, and Neill believed that his performance could have been better, saying, "I was so over-awed by Spielberg; I think I didn't quite look after my guy [Grant] as well as I might have". Neill reprised the role in order to get it "right this time", and to "fill in a few blanks", believing the character to be "a bit unresolved" after the first film. He said about his character: "I thought he'd be a little more gnarly than in the previous film. The model in the back of my head was Lee Marvin in [1967's] 'Point Blank,' a guy who'd been through the mill before". Neill was satisfied with his new performance, but found the role to be more physical than his previous films, as it included climbing, jumping, running, and swimming. Jurassic Park III director Joe Johnston described Grant as a more cynical person, considering the character's experience in the first film. An early story idea, devised by executive producer Spielberg, had involved Grant living on one of InGen's islands. According to Johnston: "He'd snuck in, after not being allowed in to research the dinosaurs, and was living in a tree like Robinson Crusoe. But I couldn't imagine this guy wanting to get back on any island that had dinosaurs in it after the first movie". In a rejected draft, Grant is seeking donors to finance the construction of a raptor research station on Isla Sorna. Johnston also found this idea contrived. Neill was saddened by the break-up of