Chuck Zlotnick/Universal StudiosJoyce Carol Oates jokes aside, the dinosaurs in Jurassic World actually do look real.
So much so, you may have even find yourself tearing up during one scene in which a sweet dino dies in Chris Pratt's arms.
Hey, after I saw the movie, I went home and hugged my dogs.
"That's the point of Jurassic World—when you go home, hug your animals," cracks Jake Johnson, who plays a park operations employee in the new installment of the blockbuster franchise.
In Jurassic World (in theaters tomorrow), Pratt stars as a velociraptor trainer who is called in by the park operations manager (Bryce Dallas Howard) to try to capture a genetically altered dinosaur that has escaped and gone on a deadly rampage through the island amusement park.
Johnson, best known for his work as Nick Miller on New Girl, was cast in Jurassic after director Colin Trevorrow suggested him for the role to executive producer Steven Spielberg. Johnson and Trevorrow had already worked together on 2012's Safety Not Guaranteed.
"He told me to come into the office and read the script," Johnson recalled. "Everything was so secretive. I had to sign in and then I sat in a big office by myself with the script. A guy watched me walk in and he made sure to see me when I left."
While Johnson said the "shoot was so much fun," pronouncing dinosaur names proved otherwise. "It was a nightmare," he said. "I can barely pronounce easy words, let alone dinosaur names."
Next up for Johnson is another indie flick, Digging For Fire, which hits theaters in August. "It's based on a real story when I thought I found a dead body in my backyard," Johnson said.
What?! "Tthat's all I'm going to say because I want you to see the movie," Johnson said.
And then it's back to work on New Girl in the fall after the show's pregnant leading lady Zooey Deschanel has her baby. "We would normally go back in August, but we're off until October so Zoe could have a healthy baby and get her feet back on the ground and go back to shooting the show," Johnson said. "I'm really excited for her. I think she's going to be a great mom."
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