Hollywood movie star Sam Neill is no stranger to blockbuster films.
Think Jurassic Park, The Dish and Hunt For the Wilderpeople among a slew of others. He's even dipped his toe into the Marvel Cinematic Universe with several cameos in the Thor movies.
And while the 74-year-old New Zealand-born actor is a meticulous master of his craft, he told news.com.au he still has no idea what's going on in Thor – the very films he's been involved with.
Neill first starred in 2017's Thor: Ragnarok, before later admitting the cameo left him "baffled" and the only reason he did it was as a favour for the movie's director, fellow Kiwi Taika Waititi.
Despite that, he returned to the franchise with the yet-to-be-released Thor: Love and Thunder, which filmed in Sydney earlier this year.
So does he know the lay of the (Asgard) land yet?
"No," he says. "The whole Marvel universe is a complete mystery to me."
Sam Neill (top left in pink jacket) pictured on the set of Thor: Love and Thunder in Sydney having little idea of what's going on. Photo / news.com.au / John Grainger
He added: "You need to devote weeks of your life with that. It's a lifetime devotion."
Neill's latest project is in Foxtel's upcoming original drama, The Twelve, which begins filming in Sydney on Monday.
While Neill is largely revered for his film work, he has dabbled in the small screen over the years, a business he says has "come a long way" since he first began working as an actor.
"When I started working in film … Working in TV was like getting chlamydia and you were stuck with it forever," he said.
"I think I've always had chlamydia because I've never really worried about that. I've been mixing television and film for a long time. But I think it's true to say television is a very different animal than it was 30, 40 years ago.
"The opportunities on these different platforms now, including Foxtel, of being able to watch things for 10 or 12 hours in a row … That never used to be the case. It's a whole different world."
Neill recently returned to where it all began – his rise to international fame that is – in Steven Spielberg's 1993 classic Jurassic Park.
Russell Howard and Sam Neill enjoying a red wine. Photo / Supplied
He reunited with his original co-stars, Laura Dern and Jeff Goldblum, for the third Jurassic World film, Jurassic World: Dominion, starring Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard.
The franchise is a monster, with the debut film in 2016 making $1.6 billion at the global box office.
"It was a great reunion," Neill said. "We all enjoy each other's company. When I think of the new cast, Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard, we just all had a lovely time.
"It's massive. We had 120 different sets and several hundred dinosaurs. It's a big production."
