Sam Neill: I have never liked living in Hollywood because it is frustrating

Actor Sam Neill has spent nearly 50 years on screen scripting an era-defining career backed with Hollywood blockbusters, such as The Hunt for Red October and Jurassic Park franchise. But he doesn’t like to stay in Hollywood, because it is frustrating.

The actor stays in his now-famous farm and vineyard in the Central Otago region of New Zealand.

“I did take my family to Hollywood, and we did stay there for maybe two years. But I never liked living there. I really like working there, and everything about the film industry there. I have got many friends there. But it’s not a place where I want to live,” Neill tells us.

Why? “My true home is my farm in New Zealand. That’s where I am at my utmost peace, where I produce wine. I have got all my lovely animals, we grow our own fruit and vegetables. Everything is organic. That’s the other half of my life,” he explains.

The 74-year-old continues, “What I found frustrating about Hollywood, and you find it happening to yourself, is that the only thing that people are interested in is the show business. I’m not really that interested in show business. It has made me a good living. I like acting, and being in films, but I have no interest in showbiz. I couldn’t care less what’s doing well at the box office. I don’t care. And I’m not interested in who the new stars are, unless I work with them. I just have zero interest in show business”.

“That’s different from my life as an actor. So not living there gives me that detachment. And I don’t have to think about things that are really not important,” he shares.

In fact, after wrapping up his projects in pipeline, the Jurassic World Dominion actor plans to take a break from acting, and work on his memoir. “After completing another couple of films, I’m actually taking a break for a while. I will be taking the rest of the year off. I have been asked many times to write my autobiography, which I’ve always said no to firmly. However, I have started to write it, and found it interesting,” he reveals.

According to Neill, writing a memoir on his life doesn’t mean his “life is really special or anything”. “But I find it really engaging. I will write about India and my time in Rajasthan. It was a series of accidents which led me to acting. I didn’t become a full time actor until I was 29, which is quite late to start. So, writing about it is turning out to be quite cathartic. That’s why I want to devote a fair bit of time to it. I don’t know if anyone would be interested in it, but it is certainly there for my grandchildren,” he says while wrapping up.