Sam Neill on December 4th, 2019 in Sydney
Photo: Getty Images AsiaPac, Rocket K / Freelance Photographer. All rights reserved.
Sam Neill, best known for his role as Alan Grant in “Jurassic Park,” said in March that he was being treated for stage three blood cancer. Now the actor revealed in an interview that he takes rare cancer drugs, but they stop working over time.
Sam Neill is not afraid of death
Sam Neill revealed in an interview with Australia Story that he is currently using a rare cancer drug that has to be infused every two weeks. As a result, he has been in remission for 12 months. However, his treating doctors now informed him that this medication would lose its effectiveness over time and would no longer work.
This led the actor to contemplate the idea of dying. It’s not so much death that scares Neill, but rather the fact that he has to retire from acting. However, he is prepared for death.
“It’s out of my hands. If you can’t control it, you shouldn’t force yourself to.”
The 76-year-old originally underwent three months of chemotherapy, which was unsuccessful. His doctor then put the actor on a rare cancer drug. The infusions of the new drug were “very strenuous” but would keep him alive, Neill said. Dr. Orly Lavee, his haematologist, also spoke to Australia Story and said they were currently considering a third option.
As Neill revealed in an interview with The Guardian in March, he learned of the diagnosis in 2022 when he had swollen glands while promoting Jurassic World Dominion and went to the doctor about it. Soon after, he was diagnosed with angioimmunoblastic T-cell lymphoma — a rare form of leukemia. Sam Neill reprized the role of Alan Grant in Jurassic World Dominion. The film managed to gross over $1 billion at the box office worldwide last year.