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‘Just Pleased To Be Alive’: Sam Neill Reveals Cancer Treatment

2019 AACTA Awards Presented by Foxtel | Industry Luncheon

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Alexander Pease Contributor
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Famous actor Sam Neill relayed that he is currently being treated for stage-three blood cancer, according to an interview with The Guardian.

The “Jurassic Park” and “Peaky Blinders” star has been undergoing cancer treatment for over a year now but has recently beaten the illness, the interview noted. The revelation comes just before the release of Neill’s candid memoir, set to come out Tuesday. “The thing is, I’m crook. Possibly dying,” the 75-year-old writes in the very first chapter, according to the Guardian interview.


To pass the time under the weather, the actor had reportedly been putting pen to paper.

“I found myself with nothing to do,” Neill said in the interview. “And I’m used to working. I love working. I love going to work.” (RELATED: ‘Nothing Short Of Appalling’: VA Employee Posed As Cancer-Stricken Marine For Charity Money, US Attorney Says)

Though being an author was not something the actor always anticipated he’d pursue, Neill decided to begin working on the memoir titled, “Did I Ever Tell You This?”

“I never had any intention to write a book. But as I went on and kept writing, I realised 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,'” Neill remarked to the outlet. (RELATED: REPORT: ‘John Wick’ Actor Lance Reddick Dead At Age 60)

Soon enough, writing became considerably therapeutic, given that Neill characterized the writing process as being a “lifesaver” as it gave him something to do and to commit to.

The actor first found out about the cancerous cells in his body while doing publicity events for the feature film “Jurassic World Dominion” in March 2022. Swollen glands prompted Neill to seek medical attention and shortly after, he was diagnosed with angioimmunoblastic T-cell lymphoma, the outlet reported.

While the actor is now technically free of cancer, he is still being treated for stage-three blood cancer out of an abundance of caution. The treatment includes Neill taking a recently-released chemotherapy drug that will be administered monthly for the remainder of his life. (RELATED: Biden Admin Penalizes 27 Drugs For Raising Prices Faster Than Inflation)

With regard to the actor’s sentiment about all this, he told the outlet frankly that he’s “not afraid to die, but it would annoy” him.

The actor admits that the medical challenges he has faced have brought about “dark moments” in his life recently along the way.

“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,” Neill continued.