The return of Sam Neill to the Jurassic franchise was a nice nostalgia trip for OG Jurassic Park fans. He had just as much fun teasing his return in Jurassic World: Dominion. His return to the dino-centric film series came more than three decades after the first Jurassic Park film premiered in 1993. Being in the blockbuster gained the acting veteran international recognition and put him in rooms with high-profile figures like the late Princess Diana. But being around British royalty didn’t shield Neill from an embarrassing moment. He revealed a time when his son farted while sitting next to the princess at the big-budget film’s premiere.
The OG Jurassic Park star revealed he hadn’t seen the first film since its London premiere in 1993. The real standout moment for Neill was sitting near Princess Di during the premiere. Of course, sitting near a British monarch was already a high-pressure situation, but that was compounded by some unexpected bodily functions courtesy of his son. The Jurassic World: Dominion actor opened up about the embarrassing incident to The New York Times.
The last time I watched it in its totality was sitting beside Princess Di at Leicester Square at the London opening. On the other side of me was my son Tim — he was 11 and completely swept away by it. About the time the T-Rex turns up, Tim started to fart. And the draft was drifting across me to royalty!
There’s nothing like your son breaking wind around British royalty to make you anxious. Neill didn’t want to offend the People’s Princess with unruly flatulence. For an 11-year-old boy, farts are funny at that age (or any age). But for The Hunt for Red October actor, this didn’t curb his anxiety from the smell being pinned on him by the late princess.
I spent the whole film in a muck sweat, thinking, 'Princess Di is being exposed to the horrors of a little boy's fart, but she's going to think it's me. I am going to be subliminally blamed for my son's crimes, and I don't think she'll talk to me afterwards. But she was well brought up and never mentioned it.
Passing gas can be an anxiety-filled moment for anyone, especially in public. The film and TV actor didn’t want to leave a bad impression on the beloved figure. Maybe his son’s gas wasn’t as bad as the actor believed it was. Or as he mentioned, she was exemplary and didn’t bother to mention the incident. At least, he can look back at the moment now with fondness.
Right now, OG and new Jurassic fans can watch Sam Neill’s reunion with fellow Jurassic Park OG’s Laura Dern and Jeff Goldblum in Jurassic World: Dominion, which received a mixed reception so far. The Jurassic World finale is currently ruling the box office after overtaking earlier box office champ Top Gun: Maverick. You can also revisit the original Jurassic Park film, which is regarded as better than its source material, by subscribing to Hulu.
