PHOTOSEverything Sam Neill Has Said About His Cancer Battle in 7 Clicks
March 17, 2023: Sam Neill Revealed His Cancer Diagnosis for the First Time
Sam Neill detailed his fight against cancer in his book, 'Did I Ever Tell You This?'
Jurassic Park actor Sam Neill shared the details about his stage III cancer battle during a sit down with The Guardian in March after writing about it in his book, Did I Ever Tell You This?.
He wrote his new memoir — released on March 21 — in 2022 while thinking he was "possibly dying" after receiving stage III angioimmunoblastic T-cell lymphoma diagnosis. He underwent chemotherapy for weeks as part of his cancer treatment.
"I'm not afraid to die," Neill told the outlet. "But it would annoy me. 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, 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."
March 18, 2023: He Posted a Video on Instagram
Sam Neill earned the nickname 'international leading man' for his roles in several hit movies and shows.
A day after his The Guardian interview, Neill posted a video on Instagram and spoke about the sudden headlines around his cancer battle.
He assured his fans that he had been in remission for eight months and has been feeling good since then. At that time, he was preparing to film Apples Never Fall with his "awesome" cast members.
"So here I am, and I just wish the headline wasn't 'that thing' so much, because the main thing is that I have written this book, it's called Did I Ever Tell You This?" he said. "And it does mention cancer because that's the sort of context in which I wrote it."
According to Neill, he did not mean to write the book and only decided to start working on it while he was undergoing his cancer treatment.
He ended his statement by asking the public not to worry too much about the news because he's doing just fine.
April 7, 2023: He Assured His Fans He's Fine
He was linked to Australian political journalist Laura Tingle in 2018.
To promote his then-new film The Portable Door, Neill sat down in an exclusive interview with Sky News as he shared that he was absolutely fine after revealing his blood cancer diagnosis.
He also spoke about his experience with the film, which gave him a chance to not think about his health crisis.
"You have a lot to be said for escapism — there is a long tradition of escapism in British literature, is there not? And this is one of those," he went on.
May 2023: He Expressed His Gratitude After Receiving an Outpouring Love Amid His Cancer Battle
He first appeared in the spotlight after starring in the film 'Sleeping Dogs.'
In his interview with Empire Magazine, the My Brilliant Career star disclosed that he quickly wrote the memoir because he had no idea whether he could finish it while battling the dreaded illness. Fortunately, he was able to complete the book in four months.
Neill has not been fighting alone, as he has his family, friends, colleagues and fans who offer him love and support.
"Completely took me by surprise. I was very touched by all of that," he said of the positive vibes. "The first thing was that it was blowing up as a headline. I think it was a very slow news day, because I was everywhere suddenly."
September 21, 2023: He Marked World Lymphoma Awareness Month
He won the Silver Logie for Most Popular Actor this year.
To mark World Lymphoma Awareness Month, Neill dropped a graphic from Lymphoma Australia and invited his followers to put the disease in the limelight by also donating to fund the Lymphoma Care Nurses.
"Here's something close to my heart. Quite literally," he captioned the post. "With so much love and gratitude for those who have helped me over the last 18 months."
October 16: He Said He Won't Waste Time Researching His Disease
He made a special appearance in the sci-fi series 'Invasion' in 2021.
The Rick and Morty actor explained to Australian Story that he has no reason to waste time learning more about his disease, adding that he would leave it to the experts instead.
"I know I've got it, but I'm not really interested in it," he said. "It's out of my control. If you can't control it, don't get into it."
Neill also revealed the time he spotted the symptoms for the first time while promoting Jurassic World Dominion and told his friend and costar Brian Brown about it. The 76-year-old actor then told him that he probably had COVID-19, so he decided to undergo a blood test.
Amid the struggles, Neill expressed how grateful he is for his life.
October 17: Sam Neill Emotionally Clarified His Recent Comments
Sam Neill also established his empires in Australia and New Zealand.
Following the release of his Australian Story interview, Neill uploaded a video update on Instagram to clarify the comments he made during the discussion.
"A passing remark on the program last night has been taken out of context," he said. "Please be assured that I am firmly in remission, and plan to remain so for years to come."
