Actor Sam Neill breaks down after being asked about a lesson his parents taught him

Childhood often felt like a time when a simple, carefree shrug could help you sidestep almost anything, safe in the knowledge that two people—your parents—would always have your back. As we grow up, that comforting sense of protection fades, but the wisdom our parents shared stays with us, guiding us through life’s challenges. Recently, when a journalism student asked Sam Neill to reflect on the best lesson he learned from his parents, the question struck an emotional chord. The Jurassic Park star visibly teared up as he began to respond, sharing a deeply moving moment that was later posted on The Assembly’s YouTube channel.

The student’s question, "What is the best lesson you learned from your parents?" clearly took Neill by surprise. His voice wavered as he responded, "Wow, that's a really interesting question." He paused, visibly grappling with the emotions stirred by the question. "I don't know why the question has moved me so much, but it has," he admitted. Neill then spoke about his parents’ resilience, shaped by the hardships they endured. "My parents were from that generation that went through a lot of things," he said. Reflecting on their experiences, he added, "They went through the Depression, and my mother lost her father in the first war, so she grew up without her father. They were very stoic people."

This glimpse into Neill’s memories of his parents reveals how deeply they influenced his perspective, passing on a strength that helped him through life’s own twists and turns.

He then talked about the valuable lesson he learned from his mother and still carries with him wherever he goes. "I'd had this year at University where I'd done bugger. I was acting in plays and trying to find a girlfriend, and when it came to exam time, I realized that I'd done almost no work. It got me very anxious," he said. It was when Neill's mother asked him how he was. "I said, 'Oh mum, I think I'm having a breakdown. I've got exams in a couple of days.' My mum simply looked at me and said, 'Well, you just have to pull yourself together,'" he said before going on to say that it was the best lesson he learned from his mother. "It's a tough lesson, but it's a good one," he concluded.

Neill's response stuck a cord in the student's hearts as everyone felt the importance of his mother's simple yet powerful advice. People in the comment section couldn't help but talk about how sentimental he felt when asked the question about his parents, "Here, he's obviously feeling very sentimental about his parents and started choking up. But while telling them his story about being told to 'pull yourself together,' he demonstrated it too by not breaking out into a sentimental mess in front of an audience and keeping his composure. Man, what a class act. I always liked Sam Neill. He's a down-to-earth, warm dude who can act from the heart," wrote @user-xg6ib2xf5v.

"This man can put a smile on anyone's face …he is just a down-to-earth person..and that is what is part of his appeal…that sets him apart from all the others," added @CatsandJP. Others talked about how amazing he looked for his age, "I wondered how the hell his parents could have been through the Depression, then I Googled and was surprised to realize that Sam is 76 years old. I know he has been in lots of movies for several decades, but my stupid little mind never seen him as that old," wrote @Njald.