Some are describing what Sir Sam Neill had as “positive masculinity”; I’ll just go with masculinity.
Neill stood up for people and for his convictions: conservation, his love of community, animals, art, and good wine.
Still strong and ruggedly handsome as he grew older. Still humble, warm, and funny, and still happy to promote and celebrate others’ work.
In a world of Claviculars, Andrew Tates and billionaires campaigning to pay less tax, find a way to be more like Sam.
In a world that gives attention to individualism and rewards those who put others down, remember that the same world had Sam.
In a world of Weinsteins and Epsteins, Sam earned fame through sheer talent and grit.
In a world of “drill baby drill” slogans of destruction, remember those who’ll use their platform and power to campaign to protect the environment and communities, just like Sam.
Still out for the greater good – acting in a thoughtful movie, entertaining an audience, providing a voice for a local community contending with the destructive wishes of a large multinational.
It’s telling that just a week before he died, Neill shared a post partnering with local activists in New Zealand, using his power and name to help stop a gold mine being dug into a mountain.
He stood up for conservation well into his final days.
He also stood up to support women.
Just last month, he celebrated “four women I have idolised for decades” as they were being honoured at the ARIA Hall of Fame awards, including Jenny Morris, Kate Cebrano and Linda Bull. He noted that Jenny was inducted by their former prime minister, Jacinda Ardern, whom he described as “another hero”.
Ardern said she felt profoundly sad by the loss of Neill, describing him as a “thoughtful, curious, and decent person. Someone who was principled, unafraid of speaking his mind, and willing to take up a fight when he saw injustice”
“He was also an artist, and anyone who watched him perform knew he was someone special.
Of course, Neill is remembered for his talent, including his roles in Jurassic Park, The Piano, Event Horizon, The Hunt for Red October and Peaky Blinders.
Wired magazine described him as inspiring a generation of scientists through his role as a paleontologist in the 1993 film Jurassic Park. They, too, noted his approach to “positive masculinity” and said the generation of scientists he inspired came down to heroes of Jurassic Park being the level-headed scientists who used their intelligence rather than guns and physical strength. They had purpose and absolute conviction, and Neill successfully demonstrated these traits in the way he played Alan Grant, and he showed them in real life too.
Given what colleagues have said about him, Neill was also a wonderful human to work with. Jurassic Park director Steven Spielberg described him as “exceptionally collaborative”, co-star, Laura Dern, said he showed her “the depths of loyalty, protectiveness and love always with the driest of wit.”
In interviews, Neill listened intently. He would take a moment to reflect before offering a generous response.
His recent appearance on ABC’s The Assembly proved just how thoughtful he could be. When an audience member asked him about one lesson he learnt from his parents, Neill was visibly moved. He paused, his eyes watered, and he apologised, noting how the question had stirred him. When he responded, he talked of his parents being Stoic, living through the Depression and his mother losing her father during World War Two. He recalled one moment, after mucking around at university when he told his mother he was breaking down and didn’t know how he’d get through his exams.
“She just looked at me, and she said, ‘well, you’re just going to have to pull yourself together, aren’t you?’ And I think that was the best lesson I learnt … Sometimes, you just have to pull yourself together.”
Neill’s family shared news that he passed away on the 13th July in Sydney, Australia. He was surrounded by family and “passed with the dignity that has characterised his whole life.”
The post noted the loss was sudden and unexpected, with Neill only recently sharing that he’d been declared cancer-free.
Neill had previously been open about his cancer diagnosis and treatment. He told the BBC in 2023 that, “I’m not afraid of dying. What I don’t want to do is to stop living because I really enjoy living.”
Sir Sam Neill died at the age of 78, survived by four children and eight grandchildren.