“I’ll bore you all to death with lots more work.” There was a resounding sigh of relief across Australia when actor Sam Neill made the welcome threat that we’d be seeing plenty more of his face on our screens. On a balcony in Fremantle, ahead of a day of filming, a glassy-eyed but stoic Neill reassured his followers that he was in remission for angioimmunoblastic T-cell lymphoma following his 2022 diagnosis.
After a “passing remark” he made on ABC’s Australian Story had spiked worry across viewers, Neill was there to reassure. Journalism for the curious Australian across politics, business, culture and opinion. His message was short but heartfelt: Neill was off to work for the day but he wanted to let us know that he’s OK, and to please check out the gorgeous geraniums in his background.
Over 3000 followers of his much-loved 650,000-strong Instagram feed — where he shares everything from a carrot called Rodney foraged from his garden to his grandkids and an array of famous friends — commented on the video post. Work that day was jumping back into character Brett Colby for season two of The Twelve. He’d been diagnosed with the rare blood cancer during filming of the first season of the hit show, finding solace on set in the people who were up for a chat.
It was fitting that Neill was back with the production in this moment, nearly two years on. This time, however, there was a brand new cast — including Frances O’Connor, Tasma Walton and one of the fun.