Sam Neill reassured fans on Saturday that he is “alive and well” and in remission after revealing in an interview with the BBC on Friday that he was undergoing cancer treatment since being diagnosed with stage 3 non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma a year ago.
“My news seems to be all over the news right now, and it’s like, ‘Cancer! Cancer! Cancer!” It’s a little tiring because as you can see I’m alive and well. And now I’ve been in remission for eight months, and it feels great,” the “Jurassic Park” star said in a lengthy video post on her Instagram on Saturday.
“And I’m alive and well, and I’m going to work,” added the actor, who was wearing a white T-shirt and a thick beard. In an interview with the BBC, the 75-year-old said he had lost his hair during treatment and wanted his beard back “more than anything”.
The Tudors actor said he was “excited to get back to work”, explaining that in a week he will begin filming a film called Apples Never Fail. Annette Banning.
JURASSIC PARK’S LAURA DERN AND SAM NEIL REFLECT 20-YEAR ROMANCE
Sam Neill assured fans on Saturday that he is “alive and well”. (Mark Metcalf/Getty Images for AFI)
“I just wish the title wasn’t ‘this thing,'” Neil said, referring to cancer, “because the bottom line is that I wrote this book.” It’s called “Have I Ever Told You That?” And it mentions cancer because I wrote it in that context.
“But I didn’t really want to write a book. I needed something to do while I was being treated and I was used to going to work and suddenly I couldn’t go to work. So I wrote the book, and I must say that it caused a great reaction. People seem to like it, and that’s great.”
He added that he was “nervous” about writing the book because he is a first-time author, but added that it was “fun” to reflect on his career, adding that “the tone of the book is one of surprise. I never thought that I would make a career as an actor, let alone an actor on screen.
“I look back on this life with gratitude, and that’s what the book is about. And let’s not worry too much about “all that” because I’m fine. Good!”
Neil mentioned in his BBC interview cancer as “fierce” and said that at the time he was diagnosed he thought he might be “dying”.
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During the press tour for “Jurassic World Dominion” Last year, the actor noticed that the glands on his neck felt bad. After hearing his diagnosis from doctors, Neil said his response was pretty stoic, but it prompted him to “take stock” and he started writing the memoir to “distract himself”.
He joked that he suspected his publishers wanted him to “hurry up” the book in case he “kicked the bucket” before it came out.
The “Jurassic Park” actor said his book is about his cancer, but it’s really about his life and career. (Getty Images)
He also assured that although his book is about his cancer, the book is not about that because he “can’t stand books about cancer”.
According to the Mayo Clinic, non-Hodgkin’s lymphomas is “a type of cancer that starts in your lymphatic system, which is part of the body’s immune system that fights germs. Advances in the diagnosis and treatment of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma have helped improve the prognosis for people with the disease.”
In an interview with The Guardian, the 75-year-old said that he is not afraid to die, but he would like to live another couple of decades if he can.
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“We built all these beautiful terraces, we have these olive trees and cypresses, and I want to be around to see it all mature,” he said. “And I have wonderful little grandchildren. I want to see them grow up.”
Fox News’ Janelle Ash contributed to this report.
