Scarlett Johansson received a warm welcome from Bryce Dallas Howard for her role in Jurassic World Rebirth. Long before filming began, Howard reached out to share her personal experience and welcome Johansson into the franchise.

Before stepping into the action-packed world of Jurassic World Rebirth, Scarlett Johansson received heartfelt support from Bryce Dallas Howard. In an interview with PEOPLE, Johansson revealed that Howard, who played Claire Dearing in the previous trilogy, reached out with an encouraging email shortly after she was cast.

Johansson shared, ”When I first got cast, Bryce Dallas Howard reached out to me and was so excited.” The actress added, “She wrote me a whole long email about her experience and how wonderful the fans were and how that was part of the excitement, joining the Jurassic family and having these fans for life.”

Howard wasn’t the only one who showed her support. Johansson’s Marriage Story co-star Laura Dern, who famously played Ellie Sattler in the original 1993 Jurassic Park, also expressed her excitement. The actress shared that Dern “was also so pumped” about her joining the latest installment.

As for Howard, though she’s not appearing in Rebirth, she remains a vocal supporter. Speaking to ScreenRant, she expressed her excitement for the new film and plans to be in the theater on day one. She said, “For myself as a fan, I am so excited for Jurassic World Rebirth. I’m going to be there in the theater opening day, and they have an amazing cast. I mean, Mahershala Ali, Scarlett Johansson, Jonathan Bailey. It’s going to be absolutely fantastic.” Howard also hinted that she’d be happy to return if the opportunity ever arose.

In Jurassic World Rebirth, Johansson stars as Zora Bennett. Her character is a mercenary leading a covert mission to a remote island to recover dinosaur DNA. She’s joined by Jonathan Bailey’s character, paleontologist Dr. Henry Loomis, and Mahershala Ali’s Duncan Kincaid, forming a high-stakes.