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Jurassic Park Star Sam Neill On Cancer Battle: "I Plan To Be in Remission For Many Years to Come"
The man behind velociraptor-battling Alan Grant shows us that his onscreen bravery isn't just an act.
Jurassic Park alum Sam Neill took to social media this week to clarify some recent comments he made regarding his battle with cancer.
“I made a passing remark, but the treatment I’m on, which has me in remission will inevitably fail one day. Well, that’s what happens. It’s nothing to worry about," the actor famous for playing paleontologist Alan Grant said in a video message. The Instagram announcement was made in response to an interview with Australian Story, where Neill stated that he was "not remotely afraid of dying." The only thing that truly scares him? Retirement!
Thankfully, however, the treatment meant to combat his stage III angioimmunoblastic T-cell lymphoma continues to yield positive results.
Sam Neill assures fans he's doing just fine amidst cancer battle
"I’m in remission and I plan to be in remission for many years to come," the actor continued. "I’ll bore you all to death with lots more work and at such time as it does fail, we’re try something else. There’s all sorts of things that are happening with cancer these days. It’s a whole new ballgame. So please stop worrying, I’m getting a lot of messages on social media and from friends. I’m sorry to worry everybody. It’s all good, it’s all fine. It’s a beautiful day, I’m off to work, and look how gorgeous those geraniums are in the background.”
Neill's cancer diagnosis became public knowledge earlier this year with the publication of his memoir, Did I Ever Tell You This?, in which the actor recalls how he first began to realize something was wrong during a Los Angeles press event for Colin Trevorrow's Jurassic World Dominion (the film brought back Alan Grant, Ellie Sattler, and Ian Malcolm for one last dino-adventure).
"I noticed the glands seemed to be up in my neck region, but gave it very little thought," Neill writes in the book. "My agent had to kill a few photographs because my neck looked lumpy. Alan Grant doesn’t have a lumpy neck, it seems."
But even in the face of something as horrific as cancer, the actor remains upbeat, ending the chapter with:
"Yep, suddenly things are different — this is some serious shit. But I was, and I remain, cheerful. I’m ‘under the doctor’, all right. I have faith in medicine. But the world has certainly turned upside down…That is what on earth just happened. Personally, I can’t wait to see what comes next. I will keep you posted."
Revisit Sam Neill's treacherous trips to Isla Nublar and Isla Sorna with Jurassic Park and Jurassic Park III — both of which are streaming on Peacock alongside The Lost World: Jurassic Park, Jurassic World, and the brand-new LEGO Jurassic Park: The Unofficial Retelling. Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom and Jurassic World Dominion can be purchased from Universal Pictures Home Entertainment.
