For actress Heather Mitchell, remembering her dear friend Sam Neill brings on a sense of gratitude rather than sadness.
“It’s terribly sad for his family. It’s terribly sad to lose someone as big and kind and generous as Sam, and talented,” she tells Woman’s Day.
“And of course I feel sad, but that’s not the overwhelming feeling. The feeling is one of great privilege, that I was one of the people in his life. He took my husband and I to the sub-Antarctic the Christmas before last and we had an incredible journey. I’ve done things with him that are just remarkable. I’m so grateful.”
A WONDERFUL LIFE
Sam tragically died last month aged 78 after a long battle with cancer, and last week, Heather, 68, who was close to the beloved Kiwi actor for more than four decades, delivered a moving speech honouring Sam during TV WEEK Logie Awards’ In Memoriam, celebrating a man she says lived life to the absolute fullest.
“He lived the most wonderful life,” she says. “And I was very concerned that some of the press was sort of making out that his body couldn’t do it any more, because that wasn’t the case. He was preparing for other roles.
“He had fought a long and hard battle with cancer and never complained. So it was untimely and it was deeply unfortunate, but he sure lived.
“It’s hard to feel sad when someone’s had such a majestic, magnificent life.”
THE SMALL MOMENTS
Across their four-decade friendship, the pair got to see all sides of one another.
They worked alongside each other in creative projects, wrote and released memoirs in the same year, and supported each other through their cancer journeys. They even enjoyed a brief romance when they first met in 1985.
However, Heather reveals it’s the more quiet, subtle moments she’ll remember. “He always sat with his feet crossed in front of him, sitting back laughing, enjoying whatever was in front of him,” she recalls.
“He just enjoyed people and was curious. He was a man who was just there. He was so present. Very present for his friends and family.”
Heather says Sam once told her that, when he died, he hoped to be remembered simply as “a kind person” – a wish she believes was more than fulfilled.
“He was incredibly kind,” she says. “Not many men of that generation could get through their whole lives and you’d say, ‘Oh, they were kind all the time,’” she chuckles.
NEW BEGINNINGS
It’s that same appreciation for people and connection that Heather has poured into her latest project, new Paramount+ drama Dalliance.
The actress was involved from the very beginning, joining producer John Edwards and the creative team in the writers’ room more than two years ago to help develop the series and its characters.
She plays Dani, a woman in her 60s whose career and financial security are suddenly in jeopardy, forcing her to contemplate starting over.
“I was interested in a character who’s not like me,” Heather explains. “Her whole life has been about her professional life… and she’s at the point of her life in her 60s where she’s lost [her] reputation [and] financial independence.”
The series sees her star alongside Home And Away’s Georgie Parker and Wentworth star Catherine McClements, and reunite with longtime friend and collaborator Hugo Weaving.
It explores relationships and the possibility of new beginnings later in life – something Heather hopes audiences will embrace.
“I could not be happier,” she says of her own life in her 60s. “I have wonderful friends, a beautiful family, two gorgeous sons, I have my health at the moment. I’ve had all sorts of health struggles in the past. Cancer twice. But I’m feeling great. I feel amazing.”
She notes that part of that joy is embracing the freedom that comes with age – particularly life after menopause.
“I don’t think we talk enough about the wonderful expansion you can feel after menopause,” she giggles. “Once you’re through it, it’s fabulous. You’re not at the mercy of your hormones.”
For Heather, growing older hasn’t meant slowing down. After recently completing a one-woman theatre show following a staggering 350 performances, she’s as busy and creatively fulfilled as ever, and just like her late friend Sam, determined to make the most of every moment.
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