Sam Neill of Jurassic Park fame has revealed that despite failed chemotherapy and short-lived remission of blood cancer, he will not be retiring from his acting career.
The update was given by Neill in an interview with Australian Story, in which he shared that he has been battling a rare form of blood cancer for more than a year. Chemotherapy treatment failed, which resulted in healthcare professionals administering an anti-cancer drug. Despite forcing the cancer into remission, a year later, it's expected to return. Neill says that eventually, the anti-cancer drug will stop working. However, this news has not sent Neill into retirement - in fact, he plans to keep on acting for as long as he can.
“I’m prepared for that,” Neill said of his cancer returning, insisting he wasn't “remotely afraid." However, he admits that the treatments can be "annoying," likening them to going "ten rounds with a boxer." Even so, he says that retirement is “completely out of the question," refusing to even entertain the possibility.
Neill grew up in New Zealand and has gained a massive following in Australia as well as New Zealand, England, and the United States. His acting career spans over five decades, multiple genres, and diverse projects. He began his career in the late 1970s on the film Sleeping Dogs, but his most well-known role was his portrayal of Dr. Alan Grant in the popular Jurassic Park franchise - in the original film, as well as Jurassic Park III and Jurassic Park: Dominion, the latter appearing on screens only last year.
In addition to working on a book-to-film adaptation and a miniseries, Neill is also writing a book, titled Did I Ever Tell You This? which will chronicle rare anecdotes and insights from his many years in the acting business, including when he was up for the part of James Bond. The memoir will serve as a reminder of him for his two children, as well as his grandchildren, along with his many fans. Neill has also expressed that he still loves acting and working with other professionals, which is why he refuses to even entertain the idea of retiring, despite his complicated health issues.
Neill's other acting credits include the 1988 film Evil Angels, for which he won the AACTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role, 1990's The Hunt For Red October, 1993's The Piano, which garnered Neill a nomination for an AACTA Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role, the 2001 film The Zookeeper, which won him the Ft. Lauderdale International Film Festival Award for Best Actor, and more recently the films Hunt for the Wilderpeople, Thor: Ragnarok, and Thor: Love & Thunder.
Source: News.com.au