Actor Sam Neill died aged 78 earlier this week and his final interview revealed what he really thought about playing a villain in Peaky Blinders and what it was like to go through chemotherapy
Sam Neill as Chester Campbell in Peaky Blinders(Image: BBC/Tiger Aspect/Robert Viglasky)
Sam Neill opened up about his career and cancer treatment in his final ever interview. The actor, best known for the Jurassic Park films, was last interviewed in April, and his death was sadly announced on Monday 13 July.
The 78-year-old’s death came just months after he told the world he was “cancer-free” following five years of chemotherapy. When announcing it, his family called his death “sudden and unexpected”.
Back in April, Neill shared that he “loved” getting to play a “baddie” on Peaky Blinders. He played Major Chester Campbell, the primary antagonist of seasons one and two of hit period drama. The character was an inspector in the Royal Irish Constabulary who resorts to underhanded and brutal tactics to root out crime.
Speaking to The Guardian, he said: “I’d like to think that, in life, I’m a goodie, so the chance to play a baddie can be a lot of fun. I loved playing Major Campbell in Peaky Blinders because he had a very sad dimension, so I felt slightly sorry for him. But I don’t feel sorry for the other very influential bad guys in positions of power on the planet as we speak.”
The interview came after Neill revealed in 2023 that he had been diagnosed with stage-three blood cancer, having received the diagnosis the year before after realising his glands were swollen. Elsewhere in the interview, he shared that what he really wanted to do when he left the hospital was go to a good restaurant, but that he was worried about what he should be able to eat.
He said he asked a nurse who assured him that he could eat “whatever you feel like”. Neill added that while he was on chemo, which he was on for five years, he couldn’t eat “at all” for a few days after receiving his dose. As such, he was excited to eat what he wanted and started growing fruit. His breakfasts included “stewed plums, stewed apricots and stewed rhubarb” all grown himself.
Shortly before his final interview, Neill told Channel Seven that there was a moment when he came close to death, as his chemo stopped working. “The chemo stopped working,” he explained. “I was at a loss and it looked like I was on the way out, which wasn’t ideal obviously.”
The star ultimately decided to start a special treatment called CAR T-cell therapy, which changes a person’s T-cells on a genetic level so that they start to attack and destroy cancer cells. At the time, Neill said he was “very excited” as a scan had shown that there was no cancer left in him. CAR T-cell therapy is currently in clinic trials to treat myeloma.
Tragically, Neill’s family announced his death earlier this week. Their statement said: “It is with immense sadness that the whānau (family) of Sam Neill share the news of his passing on Monday 13th July, in Sydney Australia.
“Sam was surrounded by family and passed with the dignity that has characterised his whole life. The loss was sudden and unexpected but blessed by the fact that Sam remained cancer-free.
“The family 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.”
His death reportedly came after he contracted pneumonia. According the New Zealand Herald, fellow actor Rima Te Wiata confirmed that Neill’s immune system, which was weakened by years of chemo, was unable to cope with the illness.
Amid his cancer battle, the New Zealander previously told Australian Story that he wasn’t “in any way frightened of dying”. He said: “That doesn’t worry me. It’s never worried me from the beginning, but I would be annoyed. I’d be annoyed because there are things I still want to do. Very irritating, dying. But I’m not afraid of it.”
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