Sam Neill Quotes

I'm not big on Champagne, but I'd take along a bottle of Cristal to pop for when the boat comes to the rescue.

The core of the film [Hunt for the Wilderpeople] is that relationship. Whether they're getting on or whether they're not. If that relationship works, then everything else works as well. And you kind of almost, sort of, gives into a realm of something like New Zealand magic realism ... There is no world in which social work is actually pursues some kid into the woods in this manner.

You don't necessarily have to go a long way in New Zealand to be in some pretty dense and scary bush.

I've worked all my life to shed myself of any character.

In the case of Wilderpeople, I walked on the first day with some apprehension actually; because it doesn't come anywhere close to anything I've really played before, this part.

If you want to learn about America, watch 'The Wire.' It's a profound piece of entertainment.

[Hunt for the Wilderpeople] people seem to be just finding it hilarious in Sundance. I would think that judging on the feedback I get; it's a very warming film. It's not sentimental, but people are sort of heart warmed by a message that's pretty rare.

Try and fit in in a New Zealand playground with an Armagh accent - it doesn't work.

Magic realism - somebody used that phrase the other day that is familiar with South American literature. That rang a bell. It resonates with me.

I never met Barry Crump, but I was in an audience once for a play once. There was a drunken man at the back of the auditorium that was shouting during a performance of a one man play, and it turned out later on that was Barry Crump and he was in a state of inebriation.

I can never really remember what I look like. I'm just sort of neutral. I don't think I'm sort of, you know, hideous.

Wines are like women in that it's often the imperfections that fascinate.

I get very antsy and nervous if I don't know what the next job is.

Every actor wants more offers, but I get enough and I do like to be busy.

Failure is never quite so frightening as regret.

I think it took us all by surprise. I mean, I knew that people in New Zealand would like [Hunt for the Wilderpeople], but no one really anticipated how much they would embrace it as it is. And it's playing widely in Australia now; they're running it as well. It's going to be interesting to see how it does it in the States, but I think if Sundance was any indication, I imagine it could do well.

Big budgets don't necessarily give you big films.

As much as possible, I try to encourage people to use stunt men because that is really their job.

'Dexter' I'm very fond of. I got addicted to that.

I can tell you where I was when Kennedy was shot - which was in the common room at school. I heard about it on the old valve radio. At the time of Armstrong's landing, I was at university rehearsing a play.

This was only Taika Watiti fourth film [Hunt for the Wilderpeople], but I think he brings a very original way of looking at stuff and I think if you look at Boy, for instance, which is a beautiful film, that was his second feature, and it's heartbreakingly sad, but it's also simultaneously very funny. There are not many people who can do that.

People turn into fools when they see a movie star and do weird things.

Where we're going, we won't need eyes to see.