Alec Baldwin has sparked a wave of criticism for his nearly three-minute, meandering tribute to his former co-star Sam Neill, who passed away at the age of 78 earlier this week. The 68-year-old actor faced backlash on social media, with critics labeling his eulogy as both “insane” and “narcissistic.” Baldwin took to Instagram on Monday to share a video where he reminisced about his time filming the 1990 thriller, The Hunt for Red October, in which he co-starred with Neill. Within the two-minute and forty-seven-second video, Baldwin only briefly mentioned Neill at both the beginning and end of the tribute. Reactions poured in on Reddit’s /r/fauxmoi/ subreddit, with one commenter stating, “This is a man contemplating his own mortality rather than honoring his colleague.” Another user criticized, “The narcissism is insane,” while someone else likened the video to a “slow, meandering version of We Didn’t Start The Fire” due to its multitude of name-drops. However, not everyone condemned Baldwin; one Redditor defended him, suggesting, “He’s simply reminiscing with old memories—sometimes older folks do ramble, which is normal.”
Baldwin recalls early film breakthrough
Baldwin began his scattered tribute by expressing, “I just wanted to quickly convey how struck I was to hear of Sam Neill’s passing. When we filmed The Hunt for Red October, it was in 1989, and it launched in 1990—a long time ago. It was likely my first significant movie with a sizable role, although I had smaller roles in Working Girl and Beetlejuice.” His video felt more like a nostalgic walk down memory lane, rather than a focused eulogy.
Remembering an all-star Red October cast
As Baldwin continued, he indulged in praising the film’s cast and the thrill of meeting author Tom Clancy, crediting director John McTiernan as “great.” He reminisced on his collaborations with fellow stars, mentioning, “I’ve been blessed with amazing casts, working alongside tremendous talents. Tony, Meryl, and several others whom I admire deeply.” Surprisingly, he named over a dozen co-stars from The Hunt for Red October, including Sean Connery, Tim Curry, and James Earl Jones, though Neill was scarcely mentioned by name during this list.
Baldwin recalls unforgettable co-stars
Baldwin proceeded to reflect on the unforgettable experience of making the film, exclaiming, “What an experience working with such incredible talent!” While mentioning other colleagues, he shared a humorous anecdote about Ron Grutman smoking a cigarette with a Russian accent and then doing an impression of James Earl Jones. Despite expectations, the mention of Neill was fleeting.
Sam Neill remembered with heartfelt tribute
Concluding his video, Baldwin finally circled back to Neill, saying, “The Hunt for Red October is one of the rare films where I remember every detail—a testament to the awe-inspiring performances, not my own, but theirs. Oh my God. My God. Sam Neill. I send my heartfelt condolences to his family.” News recently confirmed Neill’s passing at 78, only months after he had announced his remission from a prolonged cancer battle.
Family mourns Sam Neill’s sudden passing
The New Zealand actor – who starred in blockbusters such as Jurassic Park and The Piano – died in hospital in Sydney on Monday. Family described his death as ‘sudden and unexpected’ in a statement published on his Instagram page. The actor was previously diagnosed with a type of blood cancer. ‘It is with immense sadness that the whānau (family) of Sam Neill share the news of his passing on Monday 13 July, in Sydney, Australia.
Family mourns sudden, dignified loss
Sam was surrounded by family and passed with the dignity that has characterised his whole life,’ they said. ‘The loss was sudden and unexpected but blessed by the fact that Sam remained cancer-free. They would like to express their deepest gratitude to the staff at St Vincent’s Private Hospital for their incredible care. More details will be shared later, but for now, on behalf of the family, we ask that you respect their privacy as they navigate this immeasurable loss.’ In April, Neill – who is best known for playing Alan Grant in the Jurassic Park franchise – announced tests had found he was cancer-free.
Cutting-edge therapy gives Neill new hope
In an interview with Channel Seven, Neill detailed how close he came to death after chemotherapy stopped working. It was instead a costly, cutting-edge treatment that then prolonged his life. Neill said: ‘I’ve been living with a particular type of lymphoma for about five years and I was on chemotherapy and it’s a pretty miserable business, but it was keeping me alive. ‘Then the chemo stopped working. I was at a loss and it looked like I was on the way out, which wasn’t ideal obviously.’ Neill underwent a special treatment called CAR T-cell therapy, which genetically modifies a patient’s own T-cells to recognise and destroy cancer cells. Private treatment costs around $540k USD.
