From Childhood Fan to Soundtrack Session: Jonathan Bailey Brings His Own Notes to the Iconic Jurassic Score

When Jurassic World: Rebirth held its world premiere in London this week, fans came for the dinosaurs — but it was actor Jonathan Bailey who delivered one of the evening’s most unexpected surprises. Speaking from the green carpet at Leicester Square, Bailey revealed that his connection to the franchise runs far deeper than his role on screen.

"Jurassic Park was the first film I saw with my family when I was five," he said. "They’re all inside tonight, and we’re watching this together."

But the nostalgia didn’t stop there. In a move few would expect from a leading man, Bailey actually joined the film’s orchestra to help record the score. "Going to Abbey Road with a 105-piece orchestra… it was completely out of body," he shared. A trained clarinettist, Bailey may not have taken centre stage musically, but he added his own layer to the soundtrack, blending his childhood passion with a lifelong love of music. "The musicians were lovely and let me come in with my slightly wonky technique and get involved."

The premiere, attended by stars Scarlett Johansson, Mahershala Ali, Rupert Friend, and Ed Skrein, as well as director Gareth Edwards and screenwriter David Koepp, marked a return to the roots of the Jurassic franchise. Johansson called the film "a love letter to Steven’s work," nodding to Spielberg’s legacy and Koepp’s role in shaping the original Jurassic Park.

Set five years after the events of Jurassic World: Dominion, the new film sees Earth’s ecosystems struggling to accommodate surviving dinosaurs, now living in isolated equatorial zones. Among them: three genetically unique creatures whose DNA could hold the key to a life-saving medical breakthrough.