While Sam Neill was promoting “Jurassic World Dominion” in 2022, the actor had to deal with difficult circumstances behind the scenes.
Neill, 75, recently revealed that he was diagnosed with stage three non-Hodgkin lymphoma in March 2022 while promoting the film. After undergoing treatment, he is now in remission.
The star broke the news in a new interview with the BBC, explaining what was going on in his mind when he was first diagnosed.
“I thought, ‘I’m a crook, I’m going to die,'” he said.
The actor revealed that he initially noticed some bumpy glands on his neck during a publicity tour for “Jurassic World Dominion.”
According to the National Cancer Institute, non-Hodgkin lymphoma is a cancer that originates in the lymph system, which is part of the immune system. When non-Hodgkin lymphoma reaches stage three, the institute says on its website, cancer is found in “groups of lymph nodes both above and below the diaphragm” or “in lymph nodes above the diaphragm and in the spleen.”
Looking back on the experience, Neill said he was “pretty phlegmatic” when he was diagnosed, but did realize he had to “take stock”.
“I thought I had to do something, and I thought, ‘Shall I start writing?'” he said.
Neill decided to write a memoir titled “Did I Ever Tell You This?” and said writing the book gave him “a reason to get through the day” while he had cancer.
“I didn’t think I had a book in me, I just thought I’d write some stories. And I found it more and more fascinating,” he said.
The book, which deals with Neill’s cancer, is due out at the end of March and the actor said he wrote it on his own without the help of a ghostwriter. He is also quite proud of how quickly he completed the project.
“I guess my publishers are great people, but I think they wanted to get it out quickly in case I kicked the bucket before it was time to release the thing,” he joked.
Now in remission, Neill said he has gained a new perspective on life.
“I’m not afraid to die,” he explained. “What I don’t want is to stop living because I really enjoy life.”
Still, he’s excited to get rid of some of the unpleasant side effects of his cancer treatment: hair loss, for example.
“I especially want my beard back. I don’t like my face at all,” he said.
Reflecting on his cancer journey, Neill said it was “an adventure, quite a dark adventure, but an adventure nonetheless.
“And the good days are just fantastic and when you get good news,” he said, “it’s definitely exciting.”