While Sam Neill was promoting «Jurassic World Dominion“In 2022, he was facing challenging circumstances behind the scenes.
Neill, 75, recently revealed that he had been diagnosed with stage three. non-Hodgkin lymphoma while promoting the film a year ago. She underwent treatment and is now in remission.
The star broke the news on a new interview with the BBC and explained what was going through his mind when he was first diagnosed.
“I thought, ‘I’m a thief, I’m dying,’” he said.
The actor revealed that he initially saw some lumpy glands on his neck during a publicity tour for «Jurassic World Dominion.»
According to the national Cancer Institute, Non-Hodgkin lymphoma is a type of cancer that originates in the lymphatic system, which is part of the immune system. When non-Hodgkin lymphoma reaches stage three, the institute says on its website, the 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 «quite phlegmatic» when he received the diagnosis, but realized he should «take stock of things.»
“I thought I needed to do something, and I thought, ‘Should I start writing?’” he said.
Neill decided to write a memoir titled «Did I Ever Tell You This?» and he said the process of 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,” she said.
The book, which deals with Neill’s cancer, is set to be released at the end of March and the actor said he wrote it on his own without the help of a ghostwriter. He is also very proud of how quickly the project was completed.
“I suspect my editors are lovely people, but I think they wanted to get it out in a hurry just in case I kicked the bucket over before it was time to release it,” he quipped.
Now that he is in remission, Neill said he has gained a new outlook on life.
«I’m not afraid of dying,» he explained. «What I don’t want to do is stop living, because I really enjoy living.»
Still, he’s excited to be rid of some of the nasty side effects of his cancer treatment: hair loss, for one.
“More than anything I want to get my beard back. I don’t like the look of my face one bit,” she said.
Reflecting on his journey with cancer, Neill said it’s been “an adventure, quite a dark adventure, but an adventure nonetheless.
«And the good mornings are just fantastic and when you get good news,» he said, «it’s absolutely uplifting.»