Watch Jonathan Bailey Play an Instrument on the Jurassic World Rebirth Soundtrack
The actor — who also teased a Wicked: For Good spoiler — said "the nerd in me erupted like Vesuvius" at the opportunity.
It seems Jonathan Bailey is a quadruple threat: Emmy-nominated actor, singer, dancer, and ... professional clarinetist. During his June 25 visit to The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, Bailey revealed that he plays a surprising role in the making of Jurassic World Rebirth. And we don't mean his starring role as paleontologist Dr. Henry Loomis. As Bailey explained to Jimmy Fallon, he's on the film's score — as a soloist, no less.
Fallon has seen a cut of the dinosaur blockbuster, and deemed it "frightening and terrifying in the best way." In other words, just want you want from the franchise.
"And it's got that kind of summer blockbuster, Spielberg-y type of vibe," Fallon added.
"There's a lot of love on screen," Bailey, who revealed in his previous Tonight Show appearance that he was joining the cast, said. "There's so many easter eggs and homages to all the films that we loved growing up. Beyond Jaws, there's, like, Gremlins and The Goonies. It's a big adventure, and I couldn't be prouder to be a part of it."
RELATED: Scarlett Johansson "Dug Up a Jonathan Bailey" in Jimmy Fallon's Mad Lib Theater Game
Bailey's also proud of his completely unplanned contribution to the score, an opportunity that arose from his curiosity about the process and some lucky timing.
Jonathan Bailey plays clarinet on the Jurassic World Rebirth score: See the video
"The nerd in me sort of erupted like Vesuvius," Bailey joked about getting to be a part of the score's recording. He explained that while recording ADR for Jurassic World Rebirth, the movie's director Gareth Edwards told him they were about to record Alexandre Desplat's score at Abbey Road Studios that week.
Already in London for a stage production of Shakespeare's Richard II, Bailey eagerly asked Edwards if he could go. "Just to watch," Bailey said, and he did. "I got goosebumps — 105-piece world class orchestra," he raved.
Conrad Pope, the original orchestrator for John Williams' Jurassic Park score, was there, so Bailey got to know him. "And as the week progressed, I came back, and I was like, 'Can I bring my clarinet?'"
"Because I played the clarinet at school," Bailey explained. "I told you it was a nerdy story! And on the Friday, they said, 'Look, you can come.' And I just wanted to play one — just even if it was like one slightly sharp note in a John Williams score. It would've been my dream come true."
Bailey did wind up performing alongside the score's clarinetists, sitting in on the session. Eventually, Desplat offered Bailey the chance to perform a clarinet solo, but he declined despite thinking, "I'm gonna regret that for the rest of my life."
Fortunately, Desplat gave him one more chance, saying "it's now or never." And Bailey took it.
RELATED: Indulge Your Dino-Sized Appetite with These Jurassic World Rebirth Popcorn Buckets
"I ended up playing the the theme of Dr. Henry Loomis, the character I play in the Jurassic Park film, on the clarinet, which is in the score," Bailey said proudly. Fallon shared video of Bailey recording in he orchestra pit, as a humble clarinetist who also just happens to be a debonair movie star.
Bailey's lifelong fandom of Jurassic Park and Williams' score was a "formative experience," making this moment unreal.
"It just shows that, if you find something you love and you commit to it, you never know how it comes full circle," Bailey told Fallon.
Watch Jonathan Bailey's Tonight Show interview – including the footage of him recording the Jurassic World Rebirth score — above.
Jurassic World Rebirth opens exclusively in theaters Wednesday, July 2. Click here for tickets!
Jonathan Bailey on Wicked: For Good spoilers: "I don't marry and tell"
Before revealing how he wound up contributing as a musician, the charming actor kicked off his interview teasing the forthcoming Wicked: For Good sequel, which wrapped way back in January 2024. With the sequel's June trailer release, Bailey said even he saw scenes for the first time — particularly, ones featuring Ariana Grande's and Cynthia Erivo's that his Fiyero character wasn't a part of.
"I saw something, but I don't know if you want to give a spoiler? But it looked like there might be a wedding," Fallon said of a certain moment in the trailer.
"Jimmy, Jimmy, Jimmy," Bailey chided. "Listen: I don't marry and tell."
You'll have to watch when Wicked: For Good hits theaters on November 21 to find out.
