Sam Neill was leaving his local café two weeks ago when he heard a loud call. "Hey," yelled a man from across the street. "I know you. You're on TV. What's your name?"
"I said, "Hugo Weaving'," Sam recalls now, chuckling at the memory. "And he went, 'Oh yep,' and wandered off. He seemed perfectly happy with that."
It seems almost impossible that Sam Neill could pass unrecognized. His five-decade-long career has seen him go from blockbusters to arthouse films, comedy flicks to gritty drama series, and more. He's trodden the boards and taken over social media during lockdown - his Instagram feed as famous for the A-list appearances from his friends as for the farm animals that surround his home in Central Otago. He's been in so many projects that, he admits today, even he can't remember the names of all of them. Sometimes when one of his films or series re-runs on television he is startled to see himself suddenly appear.
"Oh yes, I have the odd fright like that," he admits. "I'm up in the hundreds now and you can't remember everything with absolute clarity."
Memories are on Sam's mind today as we chat. The 74-year-old has been approached by publishers over the years hoping to commission his autobiography. To date, he's always said no. "My excuse is, look, nothing much happened and if it did, I can't remember it," he says.
So it's ironic, he tells us, having found a little spare time on his hands recently, that he began "tootling around, starting to commit things to my computer".
This story is from the {{IssueName}} edition of {{MagazineName}}.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the {{IssueName}} edition of {{MagazineName}}.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
PRETTY WOMAN
Dial up the joy with a mood-boosting self-care session done in the privacy of your own home. It’s a blissful way to banish the winter blues.
Hitting a nerve
Regulating the vagus nerve with its links to depression, anxiety, arthritis and diabetes could aid physical and mental wellbeing.
The unseen Rovals
Candid, behind the scenes and neverbefore-seen images of the royal family have been released for a new exhibition.
Great read
In novels and life - there's power in the words left unsaid.
Winter dinner winners
Looking for some thrifty inspiration for weeknight dinners? Try our tasty line-up of budget-concious recipes that are bound to please everyone at the table.
Winter baking with apples and pears
Celebrate the season of apples and pears with these sweet bakes that will keep the cold weather blues away.
The wines and lines mums
Once only associated with glamorous A-listers, cocaine is now prevalent with the soccer-mum set - as likely to be imbibed at a school fundraiser as a nightclub. The Weekly looks inside this illegal, addictive, rising trend.
Former ballerina'sBATTLE with BODY IMAGE
Auckland author Sacha Jones reveals how dancing led her to develop an eating disorder and why she's now on a mission to educate other women.
MEET RUSSIA'S BRAVEST WOMEN
When Alexei Navalny died in a brutal Arctic prison, Vladimir Putin thought he had triumphed over his most formidable opponent. Until three courageous women - Alexei's mother, wife and daughter - took up his fight for freedom.
IT'S NEVER TOO LATE TO START
Responsible for keeping the likes of Jane Fonda and Jamie Lee Curtis in shape, Malin Svensson is on a mission to motivate those in midlife to move more.
