‘Jurassic Park’ star Sam Neill provides cancer update
New Zealand actor Sam Neill, best known for his starring role in Jurassic Park, has revealed he’s “not afraid of dying” following his cancer diagnosis.
Neill released his memoir Did I Ever Tell You This? earlier this year, and in the book, he revealed he was currently undergoing treatment for angioimmunoblastic T-cell lymphoma. At first, he underwent chemotherapy but the cancer stopped responding, which led to him to begin taking a new experimental drug.
Now, in a new interview with ABC’s Australian Story, Neill has revealed he’s now taking the “grim and depressing” drug every two weeks instead of once a month. He also stated he’s now been in remission for a whole year.
However, Neill has also been informed by doctors that the drug will eventually stop working, which is a reality he’s accepted. “I’m prepared for that,” he told the broadcaster, before adding he’s “not remotely afraid” of his inevitable death.
Neill revealed he first discovered lumps at the start of 2022, which turned out to be cancerous. “I started to look at my life and realise how immensely grateful I am for so much of it. I started to think I better write some of this down because I’m not sure how long I have to live. I was running against the clock,” he said of his diagnosis.
He also said of his hopes for the future: “I’d really like another decade or two, you know?” he said. “We’ve built all these lovely terraces, we’ve got these olive trees and cypresses, and 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.”
Watch the new interview with Sam Neill below.
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