Remembering Sam Neill

On July 13, 2026, Sam Neill died at the age of 78.

His family described his death as sudden and unexpected and said he died in Sydney surrounded by family. Neill had previously been treated for angioimmunoblastic T-cell lymphoma and had announced months before his death that he was cancer-free.

Tributes arrived from across the film industry.

Steven Spielberg remembered his extraordinary collaborator. Laura Dern described Neill as a beloved lifelong friend and recalled his loyalty and protectiveness. Directors, actors and admirers around the world celebrated a career that stretched far beyond Jurassic Park.

For Richards and Joseph Mazzello, however, the loss was deeply personal.

They had been children when they worked alongside Neill.

Richards shared a behind-the-scenes photograph and remembered him not merely as the internationally respected actor who played Dr. Alan Grant, but as someone who had cared about her when she was young.

In coverage of the tributes from the two former child actors, Richards described Neill as a “mentor, protector, and above all, friend.”

Those words added another dimension to the familiar images from Jurassic Park.

On screen, Alan Grant initially appears uncomfortable around children before gradually becoming Lex and Tim's protector as the disaster unfolds.

Behind the camera, Richards' tribute suggested that Neill had become a protective figure in a much more genuine sense.

For a 13-year-old working on one of the biggest productions in Hollywood history, having an experienced adult colleague looking out for her could have meant far more than audiences ever knew.

Thirty-three years later, she remembered it.

PART THREE — AN UNEXPECTED RETURN TO ACTING

The Voice in the Wilderness

For years, Richards seemed comfortable allowing acting to remain mostly in her past.

Then came 25 Miles Out.

In April 2026, horror publication Bloody Disgusting reported that Richards was returning to acting for the first time in more than a decade in a short horror film written, directed and produced by Cameron N. Clauson through Pollinator Pictures.

The project is deliberately modest compared with Jurassic Park.

There are no giant dinosaurs.

No enormous Hollywood sets.

No blockbuster budget.

Instead, 25 Miles Out centers on isolation.

The story follows a man searching for answers about the disappearance of his sister. His search takes him to a remote fire lookout tower deep in the wilderness.

Then a voice comes through a walkie-talkie.

Richards provides that voice.

The conversation becomes increasingly disturbing as uncertainty and isolation begin altering the protagonist's perception of what is happening around him.

The filmmakers have described the project as influenced by the restrained visual language and pacing of mid-century cinema, particularly horror from the 1960s.

Clauson told Bloody Disgusting that the goal was to create something raw rather than excessively polished—to make the audience feel almost as though the protagonist and a camera were genuinely alone in the wilderness.

Richards is joined by Max Ossentjuk and veteran actor Tim Daly, widely known for Wings and Madam Secretary.

For Richards, the project represents a fascinating kind of return.

She does not need to recreate Lex Murphy.

She does not need to outrun a dinosaur.

She can create tension with something much simpler:

her voice.

Horror for a Cause

There is another reason 25 Miles Out stands apart from a conventional comeback project.

It has a charitable component.