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How that controversial Basic Instinct scene got Wayne Knight his memorable gig in Jurassic Park

Steven Spielberg cast Wayne Knight in Jurassic Park after seeing him in the iconic Basic Instinct interrogation scene

News by Joshua Lapin-Bertone, Contributing writer

Published on Tue Nov 11 2025

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What makes a man sweat more, a dinosaur or Sharon Stone?

If you’re Wayne Knight, it doesn’t make a difference.

It’s hard to talk about the movie Basic Instinct without mentioning the iconic Sharon Stone interrogation scene. However, while most moviegoers were looking at Stone and her famous leg cross, Steven Spielberg had his eyes on Wayne Knight, who was playing District Attorney John Correli. Seeing Knight’s nervous energy, Spielberg knew he would be a perfect dinosaur victim.

“I never auditioned for [Jurassic Park], and I may have been the first person cast,” Knight says during a panel at GalaxyCon Raleigh 2025. “Steven [Spielberg] saw Basic Instinct, saw me sweating profusely with a camera tight on my face, looking at something that was apparently awesome. Or frightening. We’re not sure. From that, he went, ‘Yes, this is a fat person who is about to explode. I’m casting him.’”

I’ve never heard of an actor getting a role based on how much they sweat, but after seeing Jurassic Park, you can’t argue with the results.

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Joshua Lapin-Bertone: Joshua is a pop culture writer specializing in comic book media. His work has appeared on the official DC Comics website, the DC Universe subscription service, HBO Max promotional videos, the Batman Universe fansite, and more. In between traveling around the country to cover various comic conventions, Joshua resides in Florida where he binges superhero television and reads obscure comics from yesteryear.