Jonathan Bailey’s Musical Surprise in Jurassic World: Rebirth

How a childhood hobby made its way into Jurassic World: Rebirth’s emotional score.

You know Jonathan Bailey as the brooding Anthony Bridgerton, the tormented Hamlet, and now the brilliant Dr. Henry Loomis in Jurassic World: Rebirth. But this summer, he’s doing something you didn’t see coming — playing the clarinet in the film’s actual score.

Yep. Bailey’s clarinet solo is one of the most unexpected and charming moments in the entire Jurassic saga. And the best part? It wasn’t planned. It was just one of those magical behind-the-scenes stories that started with a childhood passion and ended with a Tony Award-winning actor performing in front of a 105-piece orchestra.

“The Nerd in Me Erupted Like Vesuvius”

The moment happened at London’s iconic Abbey Road Studios, where composer Alexandre Desplat (The Shape of Water, The Grand Budapest Hotel) was conducting the film’s sweeping score. Bailey, having wrapped his scenes, dropped by to watch. But he didn’t come empty-handed — he brought his old clarinet.

“I was obsessed with Jurassic Park as a kid, and that was also when I first picked up a clarinet,” he told People. “The nerd in me erupted like Vesuvius.”

Desplat spotted Bailey hanging back with his clarinet and jokingly asked if he wanted to join in. He did — sort of. When a clarinet solo popped up for a key scene involving his character, Desplat challenged him to step up. “I was terrified,” Bailey admitted to CinemaBlend. “But Alexandre said, ‘We’ll do one take, just come in and play.’”

The result?

A delicate, haunting solo that plays when Dr. Loomis encounters a newly discovered species on a remote island once home to the original Jurassic Park research facility. The clarinet, layered with strings and ambient echoes, brings a sense of wonder and vulnerability to the prehistoric spectacle.

“It became part of his character’s theme,” Desplat later confirmed. “There’s a sense of reverence to it. Jonathan brought something deeply personal.”

Bailey said on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, “Five-year-old me would’ve combusted at the idea of being in a Jurassic movie and playing in the score. Honestly? Career highlight.”

A New Era, A New Sound

Jurassic World: Rebirth isn’t just another dino flick — it’s an ambitious new chapter for the $6 billion franchise. Five years after Dominion, the planet is mostly inhospitable to dinosaurs. The few that remain thrive in a hidden tropical biosphere, their DNA holding secrets that could change medicine forever.

This time, an extraction team led by action icon Scarlett Johansson as covert ops expert Zora Bennett heads to this forbidden island to secure genetic material. Bailey plays Dr. Loomis, the team’s paleontologist, who’s caught between cutting-edge science and the ethical chaos of messing with prehistoric life.

And alongside them?

Two-time Oscar winner Mahershala Ali, plus Rupert Friend and Manuel Garcia-Rulfo, round out the star-studded cast. The film is directed by Gareth Edwards, the director of Rogue One, and features a script by David Koepp, the original screenwriter of Jurassic Park.

So yeah — this movie’s got T-Rex roars and raptors, but it’s also got a clarinet solo from its star, woven into a lush, emotional score recorded live at Abbey Road.

What’s Next for Bailey’s Clarinet?

While he hasn’t promised more musical cameos, Bailey says the experience reminded him why he loves music so much. “There’s something incredibly vulnerable about playing an instrument live,” he told Classic FM. “It’s raw. It’s exposed. It’s kind of like acting, but you can’t hide behind a script.”

In a franchise famous for massive action set pieces and bigger-than-life dinos, it’s moments like this that remind us of the human heartbeat beneath it all — the whispers between the roars.

Jurassic World: Rebirth is in theaters this summer. Listen closely — you might just hear Jonathan Bailey’s clarinet echoing through the jungle.