Sam Neill says he's 'not remotely afraid' of death amid cancer battle: 'Out of my control'

Publish date: 2024-05-06

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Sam Neill has opened up about his health woes, admitting that he’s “not remotely afraid” of dying as it’s “out of [his] control.”

The “Jurassic Park” actor, 76, gave an update on his cancer journey in an interview with Australian Story, revealing that he’s been in remission for about a year now.

“I know I’ve got it, but I’m not really interested in it,” said the actor, who was diagnosed with angioimmunoblastic T-cell lymphoma, a rare form of non-Hodgkin lymphoma.

And while the illness has taken a toll on Neill, he admitted that he doesn’t waste any time learning about it and instead just leaves it to the experts.

“It’s out of my control. If you can’t control it, don’t get into it,” he said, adding that he’s “prepared” for death and isn’t “remotely afraid” of it.

The actor, 76, gave an update on his cancer journey, revealing that he’s been in remission for about a year now. samneilltheprop/Instagram

“I started to look at my life and realize how immensely grateful I am for so much of it,” he went on. “I started to think I better write some of this down because I’m not sure how long I have to live. I was running against the clock.”

The actor took to Instagram again on Monday night following his appearance on the show, assuring fans that he’s “firmly in remission.”

“I’ll bore you to death with lots more work and at such time as it does fail we’ll try something else,” he told fans, adding that he plans to be in remission for “many years to come.”

Neill admitted that he doesn’t waste any time learning about it and instead just leaves it to the experts. Getty Images

Neill revealed his battle with stage 3 blood cancer in his memoir “Did I Ever Tell You This?” released in March.

At the time, he shared that he had originally undergone chemotherapy, but soon had to change his treatment plan.

The actor rose to international fame in 1993 with his role as Dr. Alan Grant in “Jurassic Park.”

Doctors then put him onto an experimental anti-cancer drug, which he has since called “grim and depressing.”

“I had some very lonely times last year,” he admitted earlier this year. “I thought it would be great for them to have some of my stories. I mightn’t be here in a month or two. We’ll leave something for them.”

The actor rose to international fame in 1993 with his role as Dr. Alan Grant in “Jurassic Park.”

He played the same character in 2001’s “Jurassic Park III” and the 2022 film “Jurassic World Dominion.”

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