Jurassic Park is celebrating its 30th anniversary this June. The film is renowned worldwide for its amazing story, still-holds-up CGI, animatronics, and beloved characters like Dr. Alan Grant, Dr. Ellie Sattler, and of course, Ian Malcolm.
But besides giant dinos and timeless quotes, Jurassic Park is also known for having some fantastic performances by some A-list actors, such as Sam Neill. A recent interview revealed that the Hollywood actor battled stage three blood cancer. Also, in the interview, Sam Neill opened up about his struggles and trials after his diagnosis and how his new memoir would detail everything he’s been through.
According to the Guardian, it was revealed in the interview that Sam Neill contracted angioimmunoblastic T-cell lymphoma and immediately began chemotherapy. At first, things looked grim as his treatment appeared not working. That’s when Neill’s doctors prescribed him a new and costly chemotherapy drug. The catch was Neill had to sign a contract stating that if he survived after four months, he would be given the trial medicine for free.
Most outlets report that the new chemotherapy drug prescribed as a trial would have to be taken for the rest of his life. Neill was quoted saying he’s “not off the hook yet” but that those “dark days” have made him “grateful for every day and immensely grateful for all my friends.” He finished the quote by saying how he was “pleased” to be alive.
Thankfully, according to his representative, Sam Neill confirmed to CNN that he is in remission. Neill is reportedly doing well and is even gearing up for his next project for Peacock titled Apples Never Fall, a limited series based on Big Little Lies author Liane Moriarty’s bestselling novel.
Fans across the planet leaped for joy when they saw Neill dawn the iconic hat and outfit again from Jurassic Park (1993) in Colin Trevorrow’s Jurassic World: Dominion (2022) as Doctor Alan Grant. For those interested in Sam Neill’s upcoming book, where he details his diagnosis, you can now preorder “Did I Ever Tell You This?” set to release March 21, 2023.