If you’ve recently rewatched the 2015 blockbuster or caught a late-night cable rerun, you probably found yourself wondering about the moody older brother. You know the one. He spends half the movie staring at his phone or checking out girls while dinosaurs are literally breaking out of their enclosures. Nick Robinson is the actor who plays Zach in Jurassic World, and honestly, his journey from a sarcastic teenager on Isla Nublar to one of Hollywood’s most respected young leads is a lot more interesting than his character's "wandering eye" subplot.
Nick Robinson was only about 20 years old when he took on the role of Zach Mitchell. He wasn't exactly a newcomer—he’d spent years on the sitcom Melissa & Joey—but this was the big leagues. We’re talking Spielberg-produced, Chris Pratt-led, billion-dollar-franchise big.
It’s easy to forget how much heavy lifting those "kid" roles do in these movies. Without them, the stakes feel lower. If it’s just Owen Grady (Chris Pratt) and Claire Dearing (Bryce Dallas Howard) running around, it’s an action movie. When you add Zach and his dinosaur-obsessed younger brother Gray (Ty Simpkins), it becomes a survival horror film.
Why Nick Robinson Was the Perfect Choice for Zach
Director Colin Trevorrow didn't want a "perfect" kid. He wanted someone who felt like a real, slightly annoying, somewhat detached teenager. Robinson brought that in spades.
At the start of the film, Zach is kind of a jerk. He’s bored. He’s dismissive of his brother’s excitement. He’s basically the embodiment of every older sibling who would rather be literally anywhere else. But as the Indominus Rex starts tearing the park apart, we see that shift. Robinson plays the transition from "too cool to care" to "terrified but protective" with a nuance that a lot of people missed on the first watch.
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One of the most memorable sequences involves the Gyrosphere. When the boys are attacked by the Indominus, the fear on Robinson’s face isn't just movie-screaming. It’s that raw, wide-eyed panic of a kid realizing his parents aren't there to save him.
Beyond the Dinosaurs: Nick Robinson’s Career Explosion
If you haven't seen Robinson since 2015, you’ve been missing out on some of the best indie and prestige drama work of the last decade. He didn't just stay the "Jurassic kid."
Shortly after Jurassic World, he starred in The 5th Wave alongside Chloë Grace Moretz, but his true breakthrough—at least in terms of critical acclaim—was Love, Simon in 2018. He played Simon Spier, a closeted high schooler, in what was the first major studio-backed film to focus on a gay teenage romance. That role changed everything. It earned him a Teen Choice Award and established him as a leading man who could handle heavy emotional lifting.
He didn't stop there. He’s moved into gritty territory lately.
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- Maid (2021): If you saw the Netflix limited series Maid, you saw a completely different side of him. He played Sean, the abusive and struggling father. It was a harrowing, ugly, and incredibly brave performance.
- A Teacher (2020): He played Eric Walker in this FX series, exploring a complex and predatory relationship with a teacher (played by Kate Mara).
- Damsel (2024): He recently popped up in the Netflix fantasy hit Damsel as Prince Henry.
The Mystery of the "Missing" Girlfriend
One of the funniest things fans still debate about who plays Zach in Jurassic World isn't actually about Nick Robinson’s acting. It’s about his character’s ethics.
Remember the scene at the airport where his girlfriend, Chloe, is crying and telling him she loves him? Zach just kind of... stares at her? Then, the moment he gets to the island, he’s checking out every other girl in sight. Fans on Reddit have joked for years that Zach is the secret villain of the movie because of his "wandering eye."
Robinson himself has talked about this in interviews, basically saying that Zach was intended to be a narcissist at the start so that his growth into a protective brother actually meant something. If he was a saint from minute one, there’d be nowhere for the character to go.
Will Zach Return in Jurassic World Rebirth?
With a new era of the franchise coming (Scarlett Johansson is set to lead Jurassic World Rebirth), rumors are flying about legacy characters. Nick Robinson has actually addressed this. In a 2024 interview with CoveredGeekly, he mentioned that he’d love to return but joked that Zach is "probably still in therapy from the trauma of the first movie."
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As of now, there’s no official word on him joining the new cast, but in the world of Jurassic, you never say never. We’ve seen Jeff Goldblum, Laura Dern, and Sam Neill return. We even saw the return of the original kids, Tim and Lex, in various capacities over the years.
Final Thoughts on the Actor Who Plays Zach
Nick Robinson is 30 years old now. He’s no longer the lanky teenager jumping off waterfalls to escape a hybrid dinosaur. He’s a producer, a seasoned dramatic actor, and someone who has managed to navigate the "child star" trap with incredible grace.
If you’re looking to dive deeper into his work, skip the blockbuster sequels for a night and watch The Kings of Summer (2013). It was his first big film, and it captures that same youthful rebellion he brought to Jurassic World, but with a much more poetic, indie heart.
What to do next:
If you're a fan of Nick Robinson's performance in Jurassic World, check out his work in Maid on Netflix to see how much he's evolved as an actor. Or, if you're just here for the dinosaurs, keep an eye on the production news for Jurassic World Rebirth, which is currently filming and set to bring the franchise back to its survival-horror roots in 2025/2026.