By Owen Quinn author
Photo copyright Universal
Have you seen how people throw a wake for themselves just to see who would turn up and what they would say about the deceased? Well, I thought, why wait for a celebrity you admire to die before writing how much they have impacted you through their movies or television roles. So in this one, I talk about Australian actor Sam Neill who scarred me for life as a kid.
I first became aware of the actor as Damien Thorn, son of the Devil in The Omen 3. He terrified me because being so young and impressionable, I was afraid that this would actually happen. Damien had his eyes on the Presidency and was boss of a powerful corporation founded by his father. He was even trying to start his own family and make Satan a grandfather to plunge the world into darkness.
He was mesmerising because he was untouchable. Surrounded by loyal followers, all that was good and holy was in serious danger of being razed to the ground. The scene that scarred me to this day was when people murdered their own first born males. Damien uses his powers to ensure Jesus is killed as his birth is a direct threat to Damien’s throne. I will never forget the woman who burned her baby alive with an iron. Even writing this now brings up bad and emotional feelings. So when he is killed and Christ appears at the end, I was relieved but those scenes stayed with me to this day.
His portayal of Alan Grant in Jurassic Park showed his versatility over movie one and three. When the new cast teamed up with the old in Jurassic World Dominion. I love a crossover and this was magic for me. I even had an Alan Grant action figure. Plus it’s dinosaurs so what is not to love?
In Event Horizon, Neill plays Dr William Weir who built the lost ship Event Horizon. This is a true horror movie with a stellar cast but the determined Weir allows Neill to go full demon in a way that Damien Thorn never did. The nightmarish imagery and possessed is terrifying done as the tortured Weir falls to the power of the dark dimension. Neill really does give a tour de force and elevates the movie to classic status. It is almost like a Hellraiser gone wild with Neill at the centre of the terror. It’s a movie worth watching because you will watch more than once. Neill’s accent is so smooth and distinct that you notice him in scenes. You can’t look away because he holds the screen presence.
This is shown in so many performances like Dead Calm, Merlin, Hunt for Red October, Peaky Blinders and A cry In the Dark but his resume is so extensive that no matter what he does is classy.
I’d watch Sam Neill in anything because he is just that sort of actor that you would make you want to watch. In one interview he was in the same vicinity as Brad Pitt so everyone was Brad mad but he was happy with this and said he was an actor lucky enough to be consistently working without the superstar status.
Those piercing eyes and distinct Australian accent make him one of the people I’d love to meet but I’m not even sure he does conventions. But this is why I do these articles. Who knows? He might read this. And if he does then this is to say how much I admire and enjoy his work and it will be a sad day if he ever stops working. But when that day comes, at least he will go knowing how much he is loved by fans.
I’d rather meet Sam Neill than Brad Pitt any day.
The Time Warriors and Beyond 