Actor Sam Neill, known for his role in Jurassic Park, just revealed to BBC News that he has "a ferocious type of aggressive" cancer. 

The 75-year-old actor, in fact, revealed that he had been diagnosed with the cancer - stage three non-Hodgkin lymphoma - in March 2022.

It was during his publicity tour for Jurassic World Dominion, last year, that Neill first noticed that something was not right - that the glands in his neck were different than they should be.

Accordingly, Neill made a trip to the doctor, and that's when he received that news that nobody ever wants to receive. But, as we will see, Neill is making the best of his situation.

"Shall I start writing?"

Neill says that his initial reaction, after his cancer diagnosis was "pretty phlegmatic." He says that he thought, "I'm crook. I'm dying."

But, according to Neill, the diagnosis did make him "take stock of things." And, according to Neill, he started thinking about something that he could do to keep himself occupied, and that's when he decided to write a memoir.

"I thought I need to do something, and I thought, 'Shall I start writing?'" Neill said. "I didn't think I had a book in me, I just thought I'd write some stories. And, I found it increasingly engrossing."

In the book, Neill does speak about his cancer diagnosis, including his experience with treating the cancer. But, he has made it clear that this is not another "cancer book." Neill says that he "can't stand cancer books."

Instead, the book focuses on the more positive aspects of his life.

Neill on death

Looking at the big picture, Neill says that he's "not afraid to die," but, he added that "it would annoy" him.

He said:

I’m not afraid to die,but it would annoy me. Because I’d really like another decade or two, you know? We’ve built all these lovely terraces, we’ve got these olive trees and cypresses, and I want to be around to see it all mature. And I’ve got my lovely little grandchildren. I want to see them get big.

"But as for the dying? I couldn’t care less," Neill added.

It is not outside the realm of possibility that Neill may get that extra time - or at least some of it.

The specifics of Neill's situation are unknown. But, cancer.org reports, "the overall 5-year relative survival rate for people with [Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma] is 74%.