Hollywood actor Sam Neill, renowned for his roles in Jurassic Park and Hunt for the Wilderpeople, revealed his ongoing battle with stage-three blood cancer and the challenges he faced in his treatment journey.
In a new interview with Australian Story, Neill opens up about the lifesaving treatment he received after a failed course of chemotherapy
His life has been sustained by a rare anti-cancer drug requiring biweekly infusions, which has kept him in remission for a year.
The actor revealed that his body’s reaction to the biweekly infusions is “very grim and depressing… but it’s keeping me alive.”
Despite the temporary success of his current treatment, Neill is aware that it will eventually stop working, but he remains unafraid of death and maintains a positive outlook on life.
“I’m not afraid to die, but it would annoy me,” he said in the interview.
“Because I’d really like another decade or two, you know? We’ve built all these lovely terraces, we’ve got these olive trees and cypresses. I want to be around to see it all mature. And I’ve got my lovely little grandchildren. I want to see them get big. But as for the dying? I couldn’t care less.”
The interview prompted a wave of public concern about his well-being. He clarified on a recent Instagram post that his comments were taken out of context and reassured everyone about his condition. Neill is in remission and plans to remain so for many years.
He expressed his intention to continue working and, if needed, explore other treatment options for his cancer. He choked up but urged his followers not to worry and emphasised that everything was fine.
He mentioned he was heading to work in Perth, where he is filming a drama for Foxtel. Neill has been in remission for over a year and started chemotherapy shortly after the diagnosis in 2022, when he noticed swollen glands while promoting “Jurassic World Dominion.”
