![‘Apples Never Fall’: Sam Neill On His Peacock Mystery Series, More’ Jurassic Park,’ ‘Thor’ Films & More [Bingeworthy Podcast]](gif/blank.gif)
In today’s episode of Bingeworthy, our TV and streaming podcast host Mike DeAngelo attempts to solve the mystery at the heart of Peacock’s new mysterious family drama series, “Apples Never Fall.” The series follows a seemingly happy family on a tumultuous journey to uncover the truth about the disappearance of its matriarch. The show stars Annette Bening, Alison Brie, Jake Lacy, Sam Neill, and more.
Joining Bingeworthy to discuss the mysterious mini-series is one of the stars, actor Sam Neill (“Jurassic Park,” “Peaky Blinders”). Neill, who has mostly been known for his work in film, revealed what drew him to take another chance on TV after some lackluster past experiences.
“You’re under the banner of Bingeworthy, and I think this is something we’ve all discovered in the last three or four years, particularly during the COVID time, that there are few things more satisfying than something that’s really Bingeworthy,” Neill shared. “And a lot of television has been underwhelming up until recently. You know, the crime of the week and stuff like that bores me to tears. But a self-contained story like this that you really want to know what’s going on – that you really need to binge and you really want to know what’s going to happen is an odd gift.”
“That’s what really turned me onto this show. It’s seven hours,” he explained. “You’ve got plenty of time to establish character and all the different quirks that go with being flawed, in my case, a very flawed character. And the gradual peeling away of those leaves is something, and the unveiling of the central mystery is something that’s a pleasure to work with and, hopefully, a great pleasure to watch.”
Neill plays the patriarch of the Delaney family at the center of “Apples Never Fall,” which quickly became a tight on-set family thanks to filming on location in Queensland, Australia, and having no one but each other to interact with.
“We were a very close bunch, and we got on really well. All of those people made me laugh. Annette [Bening] is the warmest human being imaginable. They’re all really funny people, I dug them. Alison [Brie], Jake [Lacy], Essie [Randles], Connor [Merrigan Turner] – they’re all really great in the show,” Neill said of his fellow cast members. “We were able to get along right off the bat…You get thrown in. And that’s helped. You don’t really get that if you’re working in LA because half the people are going home at night, and it’s like an ordinary day job. This isn’t a day job. This is so much more involving.”
During the conversation, Neill also dove into some of his cult classic films like “Event Horizon,” “Possession,” and even his multiple films with the “Master of Horror,” John Carpenter—a man Neill describes as quite the opposite of what people assume him to be.
“I’m very fond of John [Carpenter]. There’s something about horror directors, you know, that they tend to be the most lovable people on Earth and the least scary. And John Carpenter is absolutely like that. There’s not a dark bone in his body,” Neill remarked. “And he’s also deeply eccentric. He just eats breakfast three times a day. I tried to take him out to the best Chinese restaurant in Vancouver and he couldn’t eat a thing. There was not one thing on the menu that he could possibly eat. He just likes diner food, and that’s it.”
Neill described their collaborations, the first of which, “Memoirs of an Invisible Man,” was not a great experience for anyone on set due to the volatile relationship between Chevy Chase and Carpenter.
“Memoirs of an Invisible Man’ was a slightly crazy film because Chevy [Chase] and John [Carpenter] did not get on well. And that made for a somewhat fraught atmosphere on set.” Neill said. “But John and I got on really well. And when we were doing ‘[In the Mouth of] Madness,’ it was just fun from beginning to end.”
“He loves slightly bent things, and he gave me lots of room to work with,” he continued. “If I suggested something, he would gladly listen to it. At the beginning of [‘In the Mouth of Madness’], you see me locked away in what was known as the lunatic asylum in those days. I’m in a straitjacket. And he said, ‘We torture people in this place by playing The Rolling Stones all day.’ I said, ‘No, no, no, no, John, what would torture me is if we played The Carpenters 24/7.” And he said, ‘That’s a great idea!’ So, if there’s one thing I’d take credit for in that film, it is The Carpenters as torture.”
All seven “Apples Never Fall” episodes will be streaming on Peacock on March 14th. Listen to the full interview with Sam Neill below:
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