Los Angeles, May 23 (IANS): Actress Actress Laura Dern thinks that the age gap between her character and Sam Neill in "Jurassic Park" was "appropriate at the time."

Starring alongside the 74-year-old actor as the romantic leads in the dinosaur blockbuster back in 1993, the actress has now commented that their 20-year age gap was only appropriate back when the movie was made, reports aceshowbiz.com.

The 55-year-old star also expressed her shock that the media picked up on it. "At the time, the age gap was a completely appropriate age difference for a leading man and lady!" she said.

"It never occurred to me until I opened a magazine and there was an article called 'Old geezers and gals'. People like Harrison Ford and Sean Connery acting with much younger people. There I was, on the list. I thought, 'Come on. It can't be true,'" she continued.

She added: "But it felt completely appropriate to fall in love with Sam Neill. And it was only now, when we returned in a moment of cultural awareness about the patriarchy, that I was, like, 'Wow! We're not the same age?'"

In the joint interview, co-star Sam explained that the 'Jurassic' film series, which has so far spawned six films in its franchise since its debut in the 1990s - has always been a "metaphor for the dangers of uncontrolled business interests."

He told The Sunday Times: "Jurassic films have always been a metaphor for the dangers of uncontrolled, shall we say, business interests?" Neill says with raised eyebrows. "And I'm not in any way anti-science, but one has to be judicious and careful, and Jurassic has always had that theme bubbling under it."