Ariana Richards from Jurassic Park Is No Longer an Actress, Not Even Close

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00:00Just to be there for me at the very beginning, the inception of this was so special. I just,

00:05I feel really, really touched that I got to be there in that moment.

00:13And then to see it roll forward like this is absolutely stellar.

00:17Ariana Richards is honored to be a part of the original movie in the Jurassic Park franchise.

00:22She played the plucky computer programmer Lex. The films are all built on the idea of chasing

00:27a dream. It would almost be like dishonoring their legacy not to chase her own. She acted

00:33in several other films and TV shows. She even dabbled in music and music videos. It all helped

00:38her discover her true calling. Keep watching to learn why Ariana Richards from Jurassic Park

00:44is no longer an actress. Acting in her breakout role

00:48Ariana Richards was born September 11, 1979, in Healdsburg, California. She made her acting debut

00:56in an episode of The Golden Girls in 1987. Her film debut was in the 1987 made-for-cable film

01:02Into the Homeland. She also appeared in 1989's Christmas film Prancer and 1990's Tremors.

01:09She got noticed for these roles as well as a few commercials when she was young.

01:13That was nothing compared to the fan admiration she was about to receive.

01:17Her breakout role was in 1993's smash hit Jurassic Park as Lex Murphy. She played the

01:24granddaughter of the dinosaur park's founder, John Hammett. Her character was a major force

01:29in the plot because her programming knowledge helped the survivors escape when the dinosaurs

01:34went rogue. She was also key to one of its most memorable scenes when a prowling dinosaur's steps

01:40jiggled the jello she was eating. She spoke about her top-secret audition process. She was only 12

01:46and wasn't even given a script to look over. The casting director simply told her she'd be

01:51put on tape to share with the director, Steven Spielberg. All she had to do was pretend a

01:56dinosaur was attacking her, let loose, and scream. Ariana said that was the entire process. She

02:02admits it was the weirdest audition she'd ever done. The strange process worked out because

02:07Ariana was perfect for the role. Steven was impressed by her acting ability right away.

02:12She distinctly remembers,

02:21I mean, how do you get to this level of fear? Were you scared by a clown when you were two?

02:27I mean, what was it? Wait, wait, wait, I don't want to know. And then he walked away.

02:33Whatever it was she tapped into, it made the audience feel the terror as well. Her youthful

02:38innocence also won the hearts of viewers. It made them root for her to get out of the park safely.

02:43Getting Noticed For Jurassic Park

02:46Jurassic Park was a hitmaker for everyone involved, including Steven Spielberg. It

02:51helped launch their careers further than they could have imagined. Ariana won several Young

02:56Actress Awards. She even got the number 98 spot on VH1's 100 Greatest Child Stars list

03:02in February 2014. It's no wonder she returned to the role of Lex in the 1997 sequel The Lost World

03:10Jurassic Park. She doesn't look back on it as the most significant moment of her life,

03:14but she has fond memories of filming Jurassic Park, working with such amazing practical effects

03:20that made the dinosaurs feel real to her and viewers. She noted,

03:36Steven was also a great director for her, who helped guide the children without forcing them

03:41to behave one way or the other. Ariana is grateful for the impact of Jurassic Park.

03:46She was there for the Fallen World premiere and considered it a wonderful reunion. At the same

03:51time, she is surprised that the franchise has lasted as long as it did. She never thought

03:56this simple dinosaur story would be a phenomenon, saying, acting and singing later. Ariana's talent

04:06was apparent from her early work as Lex. She went on to star in several other roles after it,

04:12even if they weren't mega-million-dollar blockbusters. Her follow-up film roles included

04:171995's Angus, 2001's Tremors 3 Back to Perfection, and 2013's Battle Dogs. Her TV roles included

04:25episodes of shows like Boy Meets World. She's dipped her toes into as many creative fields

04:30as she can. She's a multi-talented woman who seems to enjoy every part of the arts.

04:35She appeared in a few music videos, combining her affinity for music and acting. They include

04:40the video for Brick by Ben Folds Five in 1997. She's even released her own music. Her album

04:47First Love came out on December 17, 1993. It was only released in Japan and is now rare and out of

04:54print, but you can find the songs on YouTube. She also released a cover of The Prayer by David

04:59Foster in September 2008. It was a duet with Chris M. Alport, who she's known since she was young.

05:06Experimenting with all these different art forms allowed her to find one which she truly loved.

05:11Once she did that, she knew she had to dig in full force.

05:15Why She Left Acting

05:17Fans noticed a long break in Ariana's schedule after her final music and films. She teased the

05:22idea of returning to Hollywood a few times, but they were nothing more than a twinkling in her

05:27mind. She eventually left acting permanently. What could make a talented actress like Ariana

05:33step away from the camera? She wanted to explore her other interests and passions.

05:37The primary driver was her love of art. She'd always been interested in painting and fine arts.

05:42That didn't leave her while she was an actress, but juggling both wasn't possible. She decided

05:47she had to choose between her two passions and consciously decided to choose the one

05:51that fulfilled her more. Ariana decided it was the better passion to devote her time to painting

05:57because it's her true passion in life. She only occasionally acts when she has a bit of extra

06:02time. She was also willing to put in the work to get her art career off the ground.

06:07She got a bachelor's degree in fine art and drama from Skidmore College. Ariana finds inspiration

06:12everywhere, but she says her major influences are historic painters such as Monet and Degas.

06:18As she has said, Monet understood how the light plays upon a figure or a landscape.

06:24It is those reflections that reveal the subject after all.

06:29So it's a matter of the light, but it's also a matter of the heart. That's what I paint.

06:36She's even a direct descendant of Italian painter Carlo Crivelli. Artistic expression

06:42seems to have been in her blood for generations. Unlike her small music catalog, her artwork isn't

06:48hard to find. She hasn't stopped painting since officially beginning her art career

06:52and has a growing portfolio to show off to future and former fans.

06:56Her work includes elements of impressionism and realism. It's all available to look at on

07:01her website Gallery Ariana. She enjoys getting to know her subjects before painting them and

07:07then capturing their essence forever. She's said that the calm backgrounds in her country home are

07:13the perfect background. I get really inspired to paint portraiture, I would say is my very

07:18favorite thing, especially when I paint people out in some kind of spontaneous location that

07:25they really enjoy. I enjoy getting to know what people's essence is like and then put that on the

07:30canvas in some really special way that they can treasure forever. She's created beautiful

07:35landscapes, portraits and other works. Her paintings have won her a slew of awards.

07:40Her piece Lady of the Dahlias received top honors at the National Professional Oil Painting

07:45Competition in 2005. She got the Award of Excellence from the Art of the West the next

07:50year. Her work has also been featured in several art museums. Yes, Ariana does paint dinosaurs from

07:57time to time. She even gets inspired by her most memorable scene from Jurassic Park. She recently

08:03said, I, um, my last painting of dinosaur was the self-portrait I did, uh, as Lex with the

08:10superimposed image of the raptor kind of going across my face. She brought her two passions

08:14full circle in honor of Jurassic Park's 30th anniversary. One of her more recent paintings

08:19was a huge 30 by 40 inch picture of a T-Rex crashing through a museum. It takes up six

08:25entire Instagram posts, each one a close-up to show it off in more detail. It's captioned with

08:31the words, When Dinosaurs Ruled the Earth. The picture got a positive response from fans.

08:36They commented on her artistic ability. Many of them said they wish they could buy the painting

08:41and display it on their walls. All of her works are beautiful, but both of the Jurassic Park

08:46inspired pieces are standouts in her catalog. They're not only stunning pieces of art,

08:51but collectibles that any fans would fawn over. It shows she's found a way to live her true passion

08:56while honoring the role that let her reach her current heights. She's been enjoying a

09:00more peaceful family life since retiring from acting. She married Mark Aaron Bolton in January

09:062013 and had a daughter in 2015. They've been living together in Salem, Oregon since then.

09:12There may not be any more dangerous dinosaur fights in Ariana's life,

09:16but she's perfectly happy with it. She gave us one of the more memorable scenes in cinema,

09:21and now she's content to sit back and capture other people's memorable scenes with her paintbrush.

09:26Now it's time to hear from you. Who's your favorite multi-talented celebrity?

09:30Let us know in the comments section below.

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