Actor Sam Neill has asked his fans not to be worried about his health after revealing he is in remission from stage-3 cancer.
On Saturday it was revealed the 75-year-old writes candidly about his fight with cancer in a soon-to-be published autobiography, saying he is still undergoing treatment and will do so for the rest of his life.
In an Instagram post on Saturday night, the actor told fans not to worry about him since he’s “alive and kicking.”
“Hi, I’m Sam Neill! Actor of sorts, vintner, and an author as it happens,” he wrote in his caption and said in a candid video.
Neill noted that his “news seems to be all over the news at the moment, and it’s sort of, ‘Cancer! Cancer! Cancer!'”, adding that was “slightly tiresome, because as you see, I am alive and well, and I have been in remission for eight months, which feels really good”.
He instead said he’d prefer supporters focused on his upcoming projects, including television series Apples Never Fall – based on Liane Moriarty’s bestselling novel – and his memoir.
“I never thought that I would have a career as an actor, let alone an actor on screen,” Neill said. “But that’s kind of what happened and I am full of gratitude looking back on this life, and that’s what the book is about. I hope you enjoy it.”
Neill raises his cancer struggle in the first chapter of his memoir, writing: “The thing is, I’m crook. Possibly dying”.
Neill told the BBC he was diagnosed with stage 3 angioimmunoblastic T-cell lymphoma during the publicity tour for the latest Jurassic Park film, Jurassic Park: Dominion, in March last year.
Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma is a relatively rare cancer that develops in the lymphatic system.
The New Zealand-born actor has appeared in more than 70 films, working alongside actors including Meryl Streep, Cate Blanchett, Judy Davis and Jeff Goldblum.
His Hollywood roles include his portrayal of Dr Allan Grant in the Jurassic Park films, and as a tough Irish cop in Peaky Blinders.
He also starred in The Hunt for Red October, Event Horizon and The Piano.
He auditioned for the role of James Bond in the 1980s at the insistence of a pushy agent but was reluctant to pursue it, concerned appearing as 007 would typecast him.
His Australian body of work includes The Dish and My Brilliant Career.
-With AAP
