“She blew the roof off the place. Absolutely incredible. At one point, she came down into the audience, spotted me and gave me a big hug.
“Me! Be still my heart.”
Neill also took in a performance of one of his favourite British-Australian comedic musicians Tim Minchin, and the pair also hung out in Vancouver together.
Earlier this month Neill took in the Canadian tour launch of An Unfunny Evening With Tim Minchin and His Piano.
READ: Sam Neill reveals gruelling reality of chemotherapy after his cancer diagnosis
This week on Instagram, Neill told his followers not to miss Minchin’s North American tour. “Incredibly great show. Hilarious, moving and generally astonishing,” wrote Neill. “We hung out a bit while he was here, told lies, ate sushi, drank red wine, goofed off.”
A few years ago, Neill shouted out to Minchin on X, raving about the comic’s road movie series Upright, in 2020.
Minchin was thrilled and replied to Neill on X.
“The incredible Sam Neill just tweeted this, despite the fact that he makes world-class Pinot Noir and Upright’s protagonist makes two anti-Pinot jabs in the first 5 eps,” wrote Minchin.
“He’s Pinotist Pianist. Shameful.
“Sam is a man of fine taste and deep forgiveness.”
Neill is in Vancouver working, of course!
So far this decade he has been part of over a dozen productions. His treatments for stage three blood cancer have not slowed the 76-year-old’s work ethic in the slightest.
In his latest production, Neill stars with Aussie actor Eric Bana in the mystery wilderness thriller Untamed, an upcoming limited series for Netflix.
The series centres around Bana’s character Kyle Turner, a special agent for the National Parks Service, who ventures into the wilderness of America’s national parks investigating a brutal death.
Neill’s character Paul Souter has been the chief park ranger in Yosemite for half his life. Souter’s character is described as comfortable in all facets of his job, whether it’s dealing with crime inside the park or with the bureaucracy around it.
Ricardo Simich is the Herald’s Spy editor. Based in Auckland he covers all roads that lead to popular culture.
