On March 17, “Thor: Love and Thunder” star Sam Neill opened up about his stage three blood cancer diagnosis for the first time. During a candid interview with The Guardian, the beloved talent revealed that he was diagnosed with “angioimmunoblastic T-cell lymphoma” during his publicity tour for “Jurassic World: Dominion,” in which he reprised his iconic role as Dr. Alan Grant. While the “Daybreakers” star’s first chemotherapy treatment was unsuccessful, the New Zealand talent found a successful chemo regimen that has helped him go into remission. “I can’t pretend that the last year hasn’t had its dark moments,” he told the news outlet. “But those dark moments throw the light into sharp relief, you know, and have made me grateful for every day and immensely grateful for all my friends.”
Fortunately for fans wanting more information, Neill also holds nothing back regarding his cancer journey in his upcoming memoir “Did I Ever Tell You This?” In an excerpt obtained by The Guardian, Neill used humor to mask his surprise after receiving his diagnosis, writing: “The thing is, I’m crook. Possibly dying. I may have to speed this up.”
Lastly, the “Crusoe” actor described his upcoming book as a “lifesaver” to the aforementioned news outlet. “I never had any intention to write a book. But as I went on and kept writing, I realized it was actually sort of giving me a reason to live… so it was a lifesaver, really,” he explained.
