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'Jurassic Park' star Sam Neill says he's 'not afraid' of dying following his stage 3 blood cancer diagnosis, but admits 'it would annoy me'

Mar 18, 2023, 16:20 IST
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Sam Neill in Sydney in November 2021.Don Arnold/WireImage
  • Sam Neill said he's "not afraid" of death in an interview to promote his new memoir.
  • The "Jurassic Park" actor said he was diagnosed with stage 3 blood cancer last year.
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A year after being told he had stage 3 blood cancer, Sam Neill is unfazed about the prospect of dying.

In an interview with The Guardian to promote his new memoir, "Did I Ever Tell You This?," the "Jurassic Park" star opened up about death after being treated for angioimmunoblastic T-cell lymphoma, a rare type of Non-Hodgkin lymphoma.

According to the outlet, Neill, 75, writes in his memoir that he was first diagnosed with cancer in March 2022. At the time, he was in Los Angeles promoting "Jurassic World Dominion" when he noticed he had swollen lymph nodes, a symptom of the disease.

Speaking on the BBC Radio 4's Today on Saturday, Neill said he was later told it was an "aggressive" form of cancer that would require chemotherapy. Unable to work, the actor turned to writing and ended up producing the memoir.

"I'm not afraid to die, but it would annoy me. Because I'd really like another decade or two, you know?" Neill told The Guardian.

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Laura Dern and Sam Neill in "Jurassic Park."Universal

Neill, who lives on a farm in his home country of New Zealand, said he wants to "be around" to see the trees he's planted at home mature.

"And I've got my lovely little grandchildren. I want to see them get big," he said. "But as for the dying? I couldn't care less."

Following his diagnosis, Neill said he had two types of chemotherapy that eventually put his cancer in remission. He still receives monthly treatments, which make him feel like a "s---house," he told The Guardian. "I'm not off the hook as such, but there's no cancer in my body."

Even so, the actor does not appear to be slowing down. Along with the release of his memoir, Neill is working on a new movie project, he told BBC Radio 4.

Cancer, he said on the program, has been an "adventure," albeit a "dark" one at times.

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"What I don't want to do is stop living," he said on the program. "It's been such a lot of fun."

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