Why Sam Neill has a soft spot for the Philippines

Okay, he’s a "star" (take note, in quotation marks) in his own right but he’s not the type who would make it to People’s lists of "50 Most Beautiful People in the World" and "25 Most Intriguing People of the Year." No regrets, though, as in no big deal.

But Sam Neill, who reprises his role as Dr. Alan Grant (paleontologist) in Jurassic Park III, is "beautiful" and "intriguing" in his own way, with a self-deprecating sense of humor and a deadpun manner of talking to the media as Bulletin’s Shirley Matias-Pizarro and I discovered during the recent press junket for that movie at the Universal Studios in L.A.

He’s the quiet type, soft-spoken and down-to-earth, somewhat like Da King FPJ, very dignified and very low-key, looking straight at people he’s talking to with an almost palpable candor.

Sam has been around, very visible especially on the big screen, and yet a lot of movie fans sort of pause and ponder, "Sam Neill who?", everytime his name crops up. Don’t look now but that’s the way Sam would rather people react to him – with a slight approving nod and not with, well, wide-eyed excitement.

No, Sam told a dozen entertainment journalists from around the world huddled around a table inside a tent at Stage 6 of Universal Studios, "I’m not a big star, as you are saying I am, but I could say that I’m a considerably successful actor. There’s big difference between a star and an actor. There are stars who are actors and actors who are stars."

Lovers of good films (this one included) will, however, beg to disagree with Sam whom they (we) find a star-actor who shone with his own brilliance in such films as Bicentennial Man (with Robin Williams), The Horse Whisperer (with Robert Redford and Kristen Scott Thomas), Children of the Revolution (with Robert Downey, Jr., Meg Ryan and Hugh Grant), The Hunt for Red October (with Sean Connery), A Cry in the Dark and Plenty (with Meryl Streep) and, who will ever forget, The Piano (directed by Jane Campion) which won the highest award (Palme D’Or) at the Cannes Film Festival in 1993, the same year Sam starred in Jurassic Park (I) which was directed by Steven Spielberg who’s producing Jurassic Park III (directed by Joe Johnston).

But because the Jurassic movies (Sam wasn’t in the second movie, Jurassic Park: The Lost World, though) are box-office blockbusters, Sam has become widely known as, he smilingly reminded us, "The Dinosaur Man," a title that fascinates even his own children whose names (and that of his wife) the self-described "very private person" Sam refused to reveal. We understood.

Who does he think are the better actors, the humans or the dinosaurs (mechanical ones)?

Breaking into his characteristic shy-quiet smile, Sam said deadpun as expected, "It’s been my experience that the dinosaurs are more cooperative than humans, although they (the dinosaurs) can be very dangerous. You shouldn’t forget that they love eating people. The dinosaurs take directorial cues very well and they love to be in big blockbusters; they are not found in small films."

Then he asked the journalists where they were from and when he learned that I’m from the Philippines, Sam broke into a wider and friendlier smile and said, "Oh, I’ve been there 20 years ago when I wasn’t an actor yet. That was the time of the Marcoses. My companions and I stayed for 10 days in Manila and we visited the Tondo (That’s how he put it, the Tondo. – RFL) because we were doing a study for a housing project. Some people warned us against going to the Tondo because, they said, it was a dangerous place but they turned out to be wrong. We were accompanied by a priest and we found the people in the Tondo to be very nice and very hospitable. I haven’t met more delightful people in my whole life; they were completely marvelous."

Told that the immediate past president in the Philippines was an actor (Joseph Estrada), Sam begged off, saying he had nothing to say about politics in the Philippines.

"But I’d love to go back to the Philippines to shoot a movie," he assured. "Give me a good script and I’d be back there – anytime."

Although born in Ireland, Sam is a New Zealander at heart and by blood (his grandparents and parents being true-blue New Zealander). When not busy doing movies, Sam said he’d hie off to his home in Otago, New Zealand, where he’s a vintner.

"Away from the limelight," admitted Sam, "I’m sort of a sociopath. I live in the mountains and I pursue other interests not at all related to acting. I also grow wine; I have three vineyard and a cherry orchard, I also grow lavender (an aromatic shrub used in perfumery)."

Being a well-respected citizen in New Zealand, Sam could be drafted for the presidency. How does he like the idea?

No, thank you, he smiled. He’d perhaps accept an honorary position but not one with such a heavy "real responsibility" as being President, as if to say, "Actors should act and leave the Presidency to qualified politicians."

"You know," he added, "when (Ronald) Reagan ran for President, the main criticism the press had against him was that he was an actor who shouldn’t be taken seriously. That was irritating to me and, I think, to other actors. Whether they turn out to be good presidents or not, they should at least, I think, be applauded for their willingness to go into public service."

By the way, is it true that he’s the richest actor in New Zealand (according to a magazine story)?

Finally, Sam laughed.

"What a distressing thing to say about me! Well, we have no movie stars in New Zealand. I am a working actor. If I’m the richest actor, then there must be a lot of poor actors in my country."

Well said. True to form.

Karen weds in Hong Kong?

Even if Funfare’s "DPA on the air" (happy flying, baby!) is dead sure about this item, it has to be in question mark until the two people involved are ready to come out and confirm it.

"They" are no other than Karen Davila (photo), anchor lady of ABS-CBN’s Headlines, and David Jude (DJ) Sta. Ana (with the ABS-CBN News and Public Affairs Department) who reportedly got married in a hush-hush (very, very private) affair in Hong Kong yesterday.

Karen and David, both formerly with GMA 7, flew to Hong Kong last Saturday for the special event and, presumably, they came back early this morning as, that’s it, "Mr. and Mrs."

Funfare is wishing the newly-weds years of blissful togetherness.