Veteran actor Sir Sam Neill, whose unforgettable performances in Jurassic Park, The Piano, and numerous acclaimed films made him one of cinema's most beloved stars, has recently passed away at the age of 78. As the fraternity of cinema mourns this huge loss, let’s take a trip to a happy memory from the time when actor Cillian Murphy celebrated his Oscar win with Sam.
Back in 2024, Cillian won the Academy Award for Best Actor for his titular role in the film Oppenheimer. The world celebrated the man for his exceptional grit and screen presence. And being among his closest friends, Cillian’s Peaky Blinder co-actor Sam has to do something to celebrate the moment. He suited up and called Cillian to a bar to commemorate the victory.
Taking to social media, Sam shared a glimpse of their fun outing and captioned the post, writing, “OSCAR! Here’s me pal #CillianMurphy the next day with the Gold Fella, and me . I could not be more thrilled, as you see. So well deserved.” Sam quipped the moment adding, “We had a great catch up . And a Bloody Mary. Or two. What an actor , what a performance and what a movie #Oppenheimer #oscars #peakyblinders”.
The picture captured the two having their best time with two Bloody Mary and the shiny new Oscar statuette posing elegantly with the duo.
Sam and Cillian shared the screen in the first two seasons of Peaky Blinders. While Cillian played the iconic gang leader Tommy Shelby, Sam portrayed his fierce rival, Chief Inspector Major Chester Campbell. Following their on-screen presence they became closer friends than before.
Later in 2014, Cillian described Sam to be his good friend but somehow that became a problem on set. He went on and explained in an interview, “He's a good friend and I love him dearly, but we have this hatred in those scenes, so you go from hanging out and laughing to deep vitriol. He's such a despicable character, but you can't help but love him.”
Beyond the world of dinosaurs in Jurassic Park, Sam built an extraordinary career with memorable performances in films such as Hunt for the Wilderpeople, Memoirs of an Invisible Man, The Twelve, and many more. In 2022, Neill was officially knighted after choosing to convert his existing DCNZM honour into a knighthood, earning the title of Sir Sam Neill.
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