SAM NEILL ON ROVE LIVE - TRANSCRIPT ROVE McMANUS: Acclaimed actor Sam Neill is in the country promoting his new movie Jurassic Park III. It opens Thursday around the country, he is joining us now via the 'Rove Live' satellite, please welcome Sam Neill ! ( Audience cheers loudly ) ROVE: How are you, Sam ? SAM NEILL: I'm very well thank you, Rove. Or do I call you Mr. Rove ? Is it Mr. Rove ? ROVE: Oh no, please, please. First name basis surely ! SAM: I can call you Rove ? ROVE: Oh yes, definitely. Can I call you, Sam ? SAM: Please ( laughs ). ROVE: Excellent, it could get very awkward otherwise. You look very sharp I must say. SAM: Well thank you very much. I've got a new tie, and a new suit, and I think it suits me, what do you think ? ROVE: Oh very very much so, and it really shows off the light on the dinosaur bones behind you. ( Sam turns his head to look at the skeleton ) SAM: Gorgeous looking creature, isn't it ? ROVE: It is, it is. Have you just come from the premiere, the Australian premiere, of Jurassic Park III have you ? SAM: I have, yep. ROVE: And do you normally sit around and watch the films or do you do a runner like you have tonight ? SAM: ( Laughs loudly ) Well I normally would watch it, but of course i've come down to talk to you, Mr. Rove. But I don't watch it for me, you understand. Because we have a very talented cast in this, very talented dinosaurs, and I just go watch it for them, you know. ROVE: And so how was it this time around, because you weren't in the second one, you weren't in the sequel. Has it been a long time between dinosaurs 1 and 3 ? SAM: About eight years, it's a pretty long time in my book, yeah. ROVE: So what was the reason for not doing the sequel, for you ? SAM: Well, uh, the reason I didn't do number 2 was that Michael Crichton didn't write me into the sequel. ( Puts on a mock serious face ) I'm sure he regrets that now, it's a gross oversight and he'll rue the day, but it's too late now, you know ? ROVE: Yes, yes i'm sure he is. He's probably got egg on his face, and serve him bloody right, I say. SAM: ( smiles ) Yes, absolutely. ROVE: So how hard was it to get you back for the third one ? SAM: Well, you know, they honeyed me with sweet words, and they said things like, uh, "we want you back, Sam, because this is going to be an absolute ball-tearer", that's a term I learnt in Melbourne, and I understand very well now. And they said we'll make you rich beyond the dreams of avarice. Well, the first bit was true about the ball-tearer, but the rich thing didn't happen, I don't know why. ( Audience laughs ) ROVE: Was one of the sweetness the action figure for your character Dr. Alan Grant ? I've got one here, I don't know if you've seen one but, uh, the likeness here is just spot on ! ( Rove holds a muscle-bound Grant action figure up to the screen as the audience laughs ) SAM: ( Smiles ) It's uncanny isn't it ? ROVE: Is it weird having your own action figure ? SAM: Well, you know, I think whats happened in this case is that Alan Grant has clearly been on steroids for eight years and , um, and his head has shrunk. This is what happens when you abuse steroids, be warned ( puts on mock serious face ). ROVE: Yes I will, yes kids at home take note. Uh, now i'd like to show a bit of a clip from Jurassic Park III. Now, I believe this is one of your favorite scenes from the movie ? SAM: ( smiles ) Oh, mate, they're ALL favorites. ROVE: ( laughs ) Uh, okay well lets have a look at Sam Neill in Jurassic Park III ! ( They play the scene where Grant and company stumble onto a T-rex eating another dinosaur's carcass, which gets a loud round of applause from the audience ) ROVE: Very nice, very nice indeed. I can see why that would be your favorite, that's a good bit. Now was this movie a little more physically demanding for you ? Is this a bit of Sam Neill action hero that we're going to be seeing from now on ? SAM: No, I think this is the end of Sam Neill action figure, action hero, uh, it was very physically demanding and it meant that I had to get fit and, uh, I certainly don't want that to happen again ( Puts on mock serious face ). Exercise is a very over-rated thing. ROVE: ( laughs ) Oh yes, so what did you have to do to get fit for this movie ? SAM: ( Tries to look macho )Well, you know, I buffed up, and, uh, I had muscles that were ripped, you know ? It was impressive, and men would stand aside, women noticed me for the first time in my life. But it's all gone now, don't worry about it. ROVE: Oh good, so I have nothing to worry about, that means. SAM: ( Smiles ) No, don't worry about it. ROVE: Excellent, excellent. Now I heard that the director on this one didn't go easy for you in a couple of scenes where you had to be dangled from a crane and things like that, and for a man who is scared of heights, that couldn't be too rewarding for you ? ( While they are talking they show the scene of the the Spinosaur attacking Paul Kirby on the crane ) SAM: It wasn't me on the crane, that's the guy with the dodgy moustache, that's Bill Macy. But they did drop us from enormous heights into water, and they tried to burn us, and drown us, it was very unpleasant. ( Audience laughs ) ROVE: Now when they offer you something like that and say "well, okay you're going to have to fall from a great height", if you're a man whose not a big fan of heights, do you just turn around and tell them to get stuffed ? SAM: No you can't do that because it's got a little clause in your contract that says "do not tell the director to get stuffed". My hands were tied, mmm. ( Audience laughs ) ROVE: So now when you're not making big, hollywood, action, dinosaur blockbusters, what do you do to just, sort of, unwind ? SAM: ( Puts on mock serious face ) Uh, I try not to unwind, and again I think relaxation is something that's very much over emphasized in our society, and I try to be wound up at all times. Tense, tension is the source of creativity as far as i'm concerned. ( Audience laughs and claps loudly ) ROVE: Very much so. But now, you play the ukelele i've heard ? SAM: Well, I wouldn't say "play" the ukelele. But I can embarrass myself on the ukelele if pressed. ROVE: Now what was the choice for choosing the ukelele as your instrument de jour ? SAM: Uh, well it's only got four strings, so any fool can play it over a long enough time. ROVE: ( Laughs ) SAM: And, uh, also, you know, I ended up doing a few films in Hawaii. I did a film with David Wennam who I think was on your show only a couple of weeks ago. ROVE: Indeed he was. SAM: And we did a film in Hawaii which was good fun, and I, all the crew played the ukelele and I thought "well, you know, surely I can do SOMETHING". So I picked up one there, and of course, i've been back with Jurassic Park, and it's always a kind of, it's a discomforting experience to see real Hawaiians play a real ukelele because it's a dazzling experience. It's a discomforting experience when you see me play a ukelele. ROVE: ( Laughs ) Well, you never know we might see a bit of it in Jurassic Park 4, a bit of Dr. Alan Grant with the action figure, which comes with it's own ukelele excessory ! SAM: ( Smiles while shaking his head ) No, no. ROVE: For now would you please thank Sam Neill, everybody ! ( Audience gives Sam an enthusiastic ovation of cheers and whistles ) SAM: Thanks you very much, Rove. ROVE: Thank you, Sam.