Sam Neill is regarded as one of the best actors of this generation, as he is considered to be a global sensation for his works have crossed continents, and has worked with numerous directors around the world. Even though the actor has worked in a variety of films such as Possession, Dean Spanley, and many more, his most iconic role is Dr. Alan Grant from the Jurassic Park franchise.
The actor had a long and illustrious career and is no stranger to making it to news headlines for his outstanding performances in his films. However, lately, Sam Neill has been in the headlines for his health, as he shared the heartbreaking news of how he was diagnosed with stage 3 blood cancer in 2022. Recently, he has given an update about his health and he is not sure how much time he has left.
Sam Neill Updates His Fans on His Battle With Cancer
While talking to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation’s Australian Story, Sam Neill reflects on his difficult battle with a rare form of blood cancer called angioimmunoblastic T-cell lymphoma. During the interview, Sam Neill said that he had been in remission for the past year, and it is the efforts of a rare anti-cancer drug that requires infusions fortnightly.
However, the only downfall with using the rare anti-cancer drug is that his doctors informed him that the effectiveness of the drug would eventually stop working. Dr. Orly Lavee, Sam Neill’s hematologist told Australian Story that “we may need to think about a third line option” once his current treatment stops showing signs of progression.
“That’s a difficult thing to carry around, day in, day out, waiting for that to happen.”
The Merlin actor mentioned how death would be “annoying” but he’s “not remotely afraid.” While he was not afraid of kicking the bucket, the very thought of retiring from acting fills him with horror, as he hopes to work in front of the screen for another decade or two.
“I’m not afraid to die, 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. 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.”
While it is unimaginable to think that one of the most talented actors has only a limited time to live, his addition to the Jurassic Park franchise would have been impossible if he had not had a disastrous interview for the role of James Bond.
Sam Neill’s Awkward Audition For James Bond
The Peaky Blinders actor made a name for himself in the 1980s, and as a result, he was shortlisted to be one of the actors to play the role of Special Agent 007, James Bond. However, what could have been his most iconic role turned out to be one of the most embarrassing moments of his life.
During an exclusive interview with Fox News, Sam Neill recalls how embarrassing and disastrous his audition was for the role of James Bond, and calls that audition to be “probably the worst day of my life.”
“I’m breaking out in a flop sweat. I’d just arrived in England, I had a new agent who said ‘Darling, I think you’re perfect for James Bond’. I said ‘I don’t really want to be James Bond, I don’t see myself as James Bond — I’d hate to be stuck in that [franchise].’”
However, that was just the beginning as the episode transitioned from bad to worse, as he was asked to take off his shirt because the casting director wanted to run lines for an intimate scene. But Neill was extremely conscious about his physique and refused to take off his shirt.
“They said, ‘Can you take your shirt off for this scene? It’s a bed scene.’ I’m not a gym guy … I’m a weedy guy! I’m not the Daniel Craig muscly guy. I did not take my shirt off.”
Naturally, the actor was not selected to play the role of 007. But more importantly, the Jurassic Park franchise would have felt so different if someone else played the role of Dr. Alan Grant.
Jurassic Park 1 can be rented on AppleTV.
