Sam Neill has no fear of what’s next as he continues his fight with blood cancer.
In an interview with Australian Story, the “Jurassic Park” star opened up about his diagnosis of angioimmunoblastic T-cell lymphoma, which forced him to “think deeply about mortality,” per the outlet.
Sam shared that he decided that he’s “not remotely afraid” of death, but is filled “with horror” by the prospect of retiring from acting.
“I know I’ve got it, but I’m not really interested in it,” he said of the topic of his cancer. “It’s out of my control. If you can’t control it, don’t get into it.”
According to Australia Story, Sam has been in remission for a year and takes a rare anti-cancer drug biweekly for the rest of his life. However, he’s been warned by his doctors that the drug will cease working “at some stage.”
“I’m prepared for that,” Sam said of that eventuality.
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View GalleryThe “Peaky Blinders” actor first went public with his cancer journey in his March 2023 memoir, “Did I Ever Tell You This?”
Sam previously told The Guardian that he began writing his memoir last year as a way to keep busy while he was undergoing cancer treatments.
“I found myself [with] nothing to do,” he told the outlet. “And I’m used to working. I love working. I love going to work. I love being with people every day and enjoying human company and friendship and all these things. And suddenly I was deprived of that. And I thought, ‘What am I going to do?'”
He continued, “I never had any intention to write a book. But as I went on and kept writing, I realized it was actually sort of giving me a reason to live and I would go to bed thinking, ‘I’ll write about that tomorrow … That will entertain me.’ And so it was a lifesaver really, because I couldn’t have gone through that with nothing to do, you know.”
He said of his experience, “I can’t pretend that the last year hasn’t had its dark moments. But those dark moments throw the light into sharp relief, you know, and have made me grateful for every day and immensely grateful for all my friends. Just pleased to be alive.”
Sam also shared more reflections on life, saying, “I’m not afraid to die, but it would annoy me. Because I’d really like another decade or two, you know?”