When Jurassic World Rebirth, the seventh installment in the Jurassic Park franchise, roared in time for the Fourth of July weekend to movie theaters, it wasn’t just the dinosaurs grabbing attention.
The blockbuster hit, which debuted as the number one movie globally, featured Haiti-born, Miami-raised actor Béchir Sylvain, who made history in a quieter, yet powerful way.
Sylvain, who co-stars alongside Hollywood titans like Scarlett Johansson and Mahershala Ali, plays LeClair — a cool-headed, French-speaking co-pilot and deckhand in a mercenary ship crew chasing dinosaur DNA for profit and possibly a cure for heart disease.
Aside from wrestling with the film's moral dilemmas, Sylvain also wanted to make space for a group too often misrepresented on screen. The theatre, film and television actor made a personal change to the script: he insisted his character be Haitian.
“On the script, it was just a French-speaking guy,” Sylvain told WLRN. “But I auditioned in French and Creole. I was like, well, I grew up speaking French and it just made sense.”
That subtle yet powerful shift in the script offered Haitian viewers across the diaspora something rarely seen in a blockbuster franchise: a reflection of themselves.
For Sylvain, that cinematic visibility is deeply personal. “I grew up never seeing us [Haitians],” he said, recalling his own journey from Haiti to South Florida at age 13.
“To have a 13-year-old now be able to say, ‘Hey man, look at me up there’ is extremely important.”
READ MORE: 'Boat People': South Florida film explores forgotten story of Haitians detained in Guantanamo Bay
It all started in Miami
Sylvain’s character is driven by money, but his emotional arc — especially during a standout, chilling moment on a cliff (no spoilers) that pivots from laughter to tragedy—reveals a layered and deeply human experience. Life’s unexpected outcomes are something he resonates with.
Sylvain, who co-founded the Ground Up & Rising Theater Company, didn’t set out to become an actor. He wanted to be a lawyer like his father — but there’s a twist: his typically conservative Haitian father was living vicariously through his son.
“But I think my dad secretly wanted to be an actor ‘cause he was hilarious,” Sylvain laughs. A chance high school theater class, Sylvain said, sparked a revelation: “I got a grade to play?” he recalls.
From lip-syncing Usher songs to playing one of Miami-Dade County’s first Black Danny Zukos in Grease, Sylvain said he began to chase storytelling with purpose.
But when his father fell ill, he became the family’s sole provider. “The acting thing was not paying yet,” he admits. “I was working two jobs.”
A scholarship to Southern Methodist University to study drama changed that, pushing him to bet big on his talent. “Literally with $200 in my pocket,” he moved to Los Angeles.
And, as they say, the rest is history. He’s now known for his roles as "Glock" in BMF Season 3 on Starz; "Roman" in Diarra From Detroit on BET+; and, "AJ" in Claws on TBS.
'Movie magic' is back
As Jurassic World Rebirth continues to smash the box office, grossing more than $200 million, Sylvain celebrates not just the return of "movie magic" but also the growing momentum for cultural stories and voices like his.
“I'm just so excited that people are going back to theaters,” Sylvain beams, rocking a classic Jurassic Park shirt. “Hollywood is going back to those times again…when you leave feeling good, like, man, I just had a good time.”
And Sylvain isn’t slowing down. He broke news to WLRN: He’s playing in Marvel’s upcoming Wonderman series, where his character will again pay homage to Haitian culture, this time more overtly on screen.
He’s also starring in a new independent film about Toussaint Louverture, Haiti’s revolutionary hero against French colonial rule.
Beyond Haitian representation, Sylvain said he connects with the film’s cautionary tale about scientific ambition and unchecked corporate greed, drawing parallels to today’s fast-paced race for dominance in artificial intelligence across various fields.
“It’s a reminder to slow down, think, and ask — how can we help everyone, not just profit?” he said.
