Sam Neill - 'I'm writing a new chapter'
The Australian Women's Weekly|July 2022
He might just be New Zealand's most famous export, his film and television projects as diverse as they are acclaimed. Yet, despite being in demand, Sam Neill's latest project is far closer to home.
TIFFANY DUNK
Sam Neill - 'I'm writing a new chapter'

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 unrecognised. 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, New Zealand. 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”.

هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة July 2022 من The Australian Women's Weekly.

ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.

هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة July 2022 من The Australian Women's Weekly.

ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.

المزيد من القصص من THE AUSTRALIAN WOMEN'S WEEKLY مشاهدة الكل
Hitting a nerve
The Australian Women's Weekly

Hitting a nerve

Regulating the vagus nerve with its links to depression, anxiety, arthritis and diabetes - could aid physical and mental wellbeing.

time-read
5 mins  |
July 2024
Take me to the river
The Australian Women's Weekly

Take me to the river

With a slew of new schedules and excursions to explore, the latest river cruises promise to give you experiences and sights you won’t see on the ocean.

time-read
4 mins  |
July 2024
The last act
The Australian Women's Weekly

The last act

When family patriarch Tom Edwards passes away, his children must come together to build his coffin in four days, otherwise they will lose their inheritance. Can they put their sibling rivalry aside?

time-read
8 mins  |
July 2024
MEET RUSSIA'S BRAVEST WOMEN
The Australian Women's Weekly

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.

time-read
8 mins  |
July 2024
The wines and lines mums
The Australian Women's Weekly

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.

time-read
10 mins  |
July 2024
Jenny Liddle-Bob.Lucy McDonald.Sasha Green - Why don't you know their names?
The Australian Women's Weekly

Jenny Liddle-Bob.Lucy McDonald.Sasha Green - Why don't you know their names?

Indigenous women are being murdered at frightening rates, their deaths often left uninvestigated and widely unreported. Here The Weekly meets families who are battling grief and desperate for solutions.

time-read
10+ mins  |
July 2024
Growing happiness
The Australian Women's Weekly

Growing happiness

Through drought flood and heartbreak, Jenny Jennr's sunflowers bloom with hope, sunshine and joy

time-read
8 mins  |
July 2024
"Thank God we make each other laugh"
The Australian Women's Weekly

"Thank God we make each other laugh"

A shared sense of humour has seen Aussie comedy couple Harriet Dyer and Patrick Brammall conquer the world. But what does life look like when the cameras go down:

time-read
7 mins  |
July 2024
Winter baking with apples and pears
The Australian Women's Weekly

Winter baking with apples and pears

Celebrate the season of Australian apples and pears with these sweet bakes that will keep the midwinter blues away.

time-read
10+ mins  |
July 2024
Budget dinner winners
The Australian Women's Weekly

Budget dinner winners

Looking for some thrifty inspiration for weeknight dinners? Try our tasty line-up of low-cost recipes that are bound to please everyone at the table.

time-read
5 mins  |
July 2024