JurassicWorldDominion star DeWanda Wise has discussed the importance of LGBTQ+ representation in major franchises, confirming her character Kayla Watts is bisexual. 'That was one of the things just in her DNA, in her dino DNA.'
Jurassic World Dominion’s DeWanda Wise has recently spoken about the importance of LGBTQ+ representation in big-budget blockbusters. The third and final film in the Jurassic World trilogy, and the sixth film in the overall Jurassic franchise, Dominion picks up four years after the destruction of Isla Nublar as was depicted in 2015’s Jurassic World.
Wise, who is probably best known for her appearance in Spike Lee’s Netflix comedy/drama series She’s Gotta Have It, also starred in the 2021 Western The Harder They Fall alongside Jonathan Majors, Idris Elba and Zazie Beetz. The actor is also set to make her Jurassic World franchise debut in this year’s Dominion. Wise plays Kayla Watts, a pilot who teams up with Chris Pratt’s Owen Grady and Bryce Dallas Howard’s Claire Dearing.
"It's important, and it's also important to me that we continue to expand the conversation beyond looking for the kiss. If you're queer, you're queer ... I said what I said. All the time. You don't turn it off. It doesn't matter if your partner's in the cockpit with you. It just is a statement of being ... So that was one of the things just in her DNA, in her dino DNA, ensuring that she is who she is. Kayla is bi, and that's just, it is what it is.
Creating characters that more effectively and accurately represent contemporary society’s diversity is slowly becoming more commonplace in major blockbusters. However, Hollywood is still a long way from making this a completely normalized and accepted practice. It is also a step forward that has been met with some measure of resistance, particularly in relation to more traditional international movie markets.
It is not yet clear whether Jurassic World Dominion will face similar pressures and reactions in some markets as a result of Wise’s bisexual character. Given that the issues raised by the recent Doctor Strange sequel relate to a small, 12-second section of dialogue, a potential ban may be something that Universal Studios are already preparing itself for.