Eating With Sam Neill

The actor and winemaker on pinot noir, on-set catering and hurricane shelters.

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You spent your earliest years in Northern Ireland, before moving to New Zealand. What food do you recall having?

Northern Ireland wasn’t exactly a gastronomic destination in those days. It was also a time of rations. I remember the day rationing ended and hurtling off to the sweet shop for as many Mars bars as we could afford (probably just the one). My mother, God bless her, was not much of a cook. The only real memory I have of eating anything at all was bread and dripping. Not bad, too, as I remember it. Is that possible?

You started acting in high school. What it was like being on stage for the first time?

I had a pretty bad stammer as a child. I also had (and still have) an older brother who was much brighter than me, and always arrived home with glowing reports. Mine were invariably dismal, but I found I could act a bit. And when on stage, I didn’t stammer at all. I loved the sensation of being able to say words with clarity and conviction. And for a boy with little scholastic or sporting skills, a moment of attention – however small – was quite a thing.

You’ve played a wide range of characters: the Pope, the Antichrist, a cat burglar on The Simpsons. In September, you’ll appear as Michelle Payne’s father, Paddy, in Ride Like a Girl. Which role were you most thrilled to get?

I’m always excited to land a role, and every time it seems like an extraordinary fluke. Pretty much the next day, I invariably realise I have no idea how to play the part. Then I just gradually muddle a way forward as best I can. In that sense, it’s very much like any other job.