Sam Neill was mortified during the 1993 London premiere of “Jurassic Park,” over his son’s smelly actions.
The actor revealed that he had brought his then 10-year-old son, Tim Neill, to the film premiere, and sat next to Princess Diana during the showing.
“There was a royal premiere in London, and it was, it was sort of a fortuitous occasion — you don’t get to sit beside Princess Diana every day,” he said on the “Today” show.
‘JURASSIC PARK’ STAR SAM NEILL IS ‘NOT REMOTELY AFRAID’ OF DEATH AS HE BATTLES AGGRESSIVE CANCER
Sam Neill and his 10-year-old son sat next to Princess Diana at the London premiere of “Jurassic Park.” (Getty Images)
Neill added, “But my son was sitting on the other side [of me] and it was kind of unfortunate, because once it starts getting exciting, about 45 minutes in, he was so carried away with things — he was about 10 years old at this point — he started to fart unreasonably.”
He acknowledged that although no one heard his son passing gas, the theater could certainly smell it.
“It wasn’t that audible, but it was very, very [smelly],” Neill said. “And there was sort of a draft through the cinema, and it was all drifting in the Princess’ direction. And I was there in my suit and bowtie and things, sweating like crazy because I thought, ‘The princess is going to think this is me. And it’s this little boy here.'”
Sam shared on the show that he did not put the blame for the smell on his son.
“No, I couldn’t. He hates me telling that story, but it’s absolutely true,” he said, jokingly adding, “He’s grown now … but I’m never going to another premiere with him!”
Princess Diana at the London premiere of “Jurassic Park,” meeting the film director Steven Spielberg, Kate Capshaw, Sam Neill, Jeff Goldblum and Richard Attenborough. (Photo by Alex Bailey/Sygma/Sygma)
The actor is set to make his return to the small screen in the upcoming Peacock limited series “Apples Never Fall” alongside Annette Bening. The show is an adaptation of Liane Moriarty’s best-selling 2021 novel by the same name.
Last year, Neill revealed he had been diagnosed with stage 3 blood cancer in 2021. At that time, he called the illness “ferocious.”
During an appearance on “Australia Story” in October, he admitted that while he’s not sure exactly how much time he has left, he’s not afraid of dying.
The cast of “Jurassic Park” pictured at another premiere. (Photo by Guy DeLort/WWD/Penske Media)
The actor said he’s “not remotely afraid” of death n finds the idea of dying “annoying” because he has more that he would like to accomplish.
Neill detailed his diagnosis of angioimmunoblastic T-cell lymphoma, saying he was in “a fight for my life.” He underwent a few months of “brutal” chemotherapy, something he said stripped him of “any kind of dignity.”
His doctor, Orly Lavee, appeared on the show to explain that before he was even done with the first round of chemo, the cancer proved to be resistant to the treatment and became even more aggressive. She said many patients choose to stop treatments altogether if this happens, but Neill was “quite keen” on keeping up the fight.
Sam Neill revealed that he was diagnosed with stage 3 blood cancer in 2021. (Jeff Vespa/WireImage)
She prescribed a rare anti-cancer drug as the next step in his treatment, and he said it was a “surprise” when it actually worked.
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“That was a year ago now,” Neill said of the medicine, “and I have been in remission ever since then, and I’m immensely grateful for that. It’s not something I can finish. I will be on this for the rest of my life. Every two weeks I go in and get beaten up again. It’s like going 10 rounds with a boxer, but it’s keeping me alive. And being alive is infinitely preferable to the alternative.
“The idea of retirement fills me with horror, actually. To not be able to do the things that you love would be heartbreaking. But I’ve also got to be realistic in that one doctor said to me, ‘This stuff will stop working one day too.’ So I’m prepared for that. I’m ready for it. And I think I’ve done some good things. … Not all of them have been good. We all have regrets. But I think I can live by myself, and I can die by myself OK.”
Sam Neill has continued to act amid his cancer diagnosis. (Photo by Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images)
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Neill’s son, Tim, said the actor doesn’t like to talk about his illness, admitting that he didn’t even know what type of cancer his father had until news articles began coming out on the topic.
“It’s not interesting to me,” Neill confessed with a wide smile. “I’m not interested in cancer. I’ve got other things on my mind, and it’s not cancer. … I know I’ve got it, but I’m not really interested in it.”
Last year, Sam said he’s “really not interested” in cancer. (Photo by Don Arnold/WireImage)
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Something he did find worthwhile, though, was the idea to leave behind stories for his loved ones. While he was struggling with treatment after the initial diagnosis, he decided to jot down things that he wanted his children and grandchildren to remember, and that eventually became his memoir, “Did I Ever Tell You This?” which was released in March 2023.
Fox News Digital’s Emily Trainham contributed to this report.
