While Sam Neill was promoting “Jurassic World Dominion” in 2022, the actor faced difficult circumstances behind the scenes.
Neill, 75, recently revealed he was diagnosed with stage 3 non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma while promoting the film in March 2022. After undergoing treatment, he is now in remission.
The star announced the news in a new interview with the BBC and explained what was going through his mind when he was first diagnosed.
“I was like, ‘I’m a crook, I’m dying,'” he said.
The actor revealed he originally spotted lumpy glands in his neck while on a publicity tour for ‘Jurassic World Dominion’.
According to the National Cancer Institute, non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma is a type of cancer that starts in the lymphatic system, which is part of the immune system. When non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma reaches stage three, the institute says on its website, the cancer is in “groups of lymph nodes above and below the diaphragm” or “in lymph nodes above the diaphragm.” diaphragm and in the spleen”.
Looking back on the experience, Neill said he was “quite phlegmatic” when he was diagnosed, but realized he had to “take stock of things”.
“I thought I had to do something, and I was like, ‘Should I start writing?’ “, did he declare.
Neill decided to write a memoir called “Did I Ever Tell You This?” and said the process of writing the book gave him “a reason to go through the day” when he had cancer.
“I didn’t think I had a book in me, I just thought I would write stories. And I found it more and more captivating,” he said.
The book, which is about Neill’s cancer, will be released in late 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 he completed the project.
“I suspect my editors are lovely people, but I think they wanted to get it out quickly in case I kicked the bucket before it was time to get the stuff out,” he said. -He’s joking.
Now that he is in remission, Neill said he has gained a new perspective on life.
“I’m not afraid to die,” he explained. “What I don’t want to do is stop living, because I really like living.”
Still, he’s thrilled to get rid of some of the nasty side effects of his cancer treatment: hair loss, for example.
“More than anything, I want my beard back. I don’t like the way my face looks at all,” he said.
Reflecting on his cancer journey, Neill said it had been “an adventure, a pretty dark adventure, but an adventure nonetheless.
“And good days are just fantastic and when you get good news,” he said, “it’s absolutely exhilarating.”