When Sam Neill was promoting “Jurassic World Dominion” in 2022, he was facing challenging situations behind the scenes.
Neil, 75, recently revealed that he was diagnosed with stage III non-Hodgkin lymphoma a year ago while promoting the film. He was treated and is fine now.
The star broke the news in a new interview with the BBC and explained what went through her mind when she first got her diagnosis.
“I thought, ‘I’m a badass, I’m dying,'” he said.
The actor revealed that he initially noticed some lumpy glands in his neck during the promotional tour for “Jurassic World Domination”.
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 “pretty phlegmatic” when he received the diagnosis, but felt he needed to “take stock of things.”
“I thought I needed to do something, and I thought, ‘Shall I start writing?'” he said.
Neil performed “Did I Ever Tell You This?” Decided to write a memoir titled. and said that the process of writing the book gave her “a reason to take days off” while she had cancer.
“I didn’t think I had a book, I just thought I’d write some stories. And I found it increasingly amusing,” he said.
The book, which addresses Neil’s cancer, will be released in late March, and the actor said he wrote it alone without the help of a ghostwriter. He is also very proud of how quickly he completed the project.
“I doubt my publishers, they’re delightful people, but I think they wanted to get it out quickly, in case I kicked the bucket before it was time to release the thing,” he joked. .
Now that he’s recovered, Neil says he’s 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 stave off some of the unpleasant side effects of his cancer treatment: hair loss, for example.
“More than anything I want my beard back. I don’t like my face one bit,” he said.
Reflecting on his cancer journey, Neil said it was “an adventure, a pretty dark adventure, but an adventure nonetheless.
“And good days are just wonderful and when you get some good news,” he said, “it’s absolutely exhilarating.”
