Ariana Richards is going back to where it all began — returning to her Jurassic Park roots at the premiere of the latest sequel Jurassic World: Dominion, earlier this week.
Despite not reprising her former role as Lex Murphy, she did decide to appear on the red carpet, just a few days after announcing the passing of her father.
While Ariana Richards, now 42-years-old, does not make a cameo in the new film, she still showed her support for Jurassic World Dominion.
She took to Instagram to share a touching tribute, paired with a photo of herself, her sister, and her father at an awards ceremony, where she won an award for her role in the original Jurassic Park.
"Here is a photo of me, my sister Bethany and my dad, Gary Richards, from Feb. 5, 1994 at the fifteenth annual Youth in Film awards, Sportsman’s Lodge, Studio City, Calif., where I received an award for 'Jurassic," she wrote.
Since her last appearance as Lex Murphy in the 1997 sequel The Lost World: Jurassic Park, Richards has taken up another career path.
While speaking with Interview Magazine in 2011, she revealed that the overwhelming response and overnight fame she experienced following the release of Jurassic Park in 1993, was more than she could have anticipated.
"I was not prepared for the fact that huge numbers of people would recognize me on a daily basis," she added.
"I mean, I couldn't eat lunch somewhere without people lining up to talk to me," the 42-year-old explained, adding that she still loves acting, but oil painting has become her main squeeze.
"Acting is always going to be something that's in my blood," Richards continued.
"If some really interesting role came along and found me, I'm sure I'd be thrilled to do it," she said.
