Joseph Mazzello, who starred as Tim Murphy in Steven Spielberg’s 1993 blockbuster Jurassic Park, has described the death of his former co-star Sam Neill as a "gut punch".
Neill, who played Dr Alan Grant alongside Mazzello, passed away on Monday at the age of 78.
Mazzello shared an emotional video tribute on Instagram, visibly struggling to contain his tears as he spoke about the actor.
He began: "Obviously not what I want to be doing today. I woke up to the news about Sam. I had been following his cancer diagnosis and his recovery and was so happy and thankful when I found out he was cancer-free, so this just comes I think as an extra gut punch, because I thought he was through it – but that is life, isn’t it?"
The 42-year-old actor also recounted a recent interaction, noting that Neill had commented, "All the best Joey" on a post Mazzello shared about attending a film premiere just a few months prior.
Holding back tears, he added: “I didn’t even realise he was following me. I didn’t know that even thought about me any more. But he was rooting for me. He was still rooting for me 33 years later. That was so special to me to know that.”
The actor then reflected on how Jurassic Park was a “defining moment” in his life, then joking: “It’s not easy working with kids and Sam only pretended he hated us. He was actually an amazing scene partner, and it doesn’t feel like that long ago that we were just ad-libbing together and climbing down trees and up fences.
“I’m so thankful for him. I’m so thankful that he was so great in that movie, because he made us great too.”
Mazzello said he had always hoped they might work together again one day on a “Jurassic or anything”, but that it “wasn’t meant to be”.
Speaking about Neill, he said the actor was “the best of us”. “I can’t say enough good about it and it’s just still shocking, and I’m going to miss him,” he added.
Ariana Clarice Richards, who played Lex Murphy in the original film, also shared a tribute to Neill, in which she wrote: “Sam – you were more than just a lovely actor to work with – refined, thoughtful, a skill second to none – you were a mentor, protector, and above all, friend. Thank you for making our scenes together feel so real. I will be forever grateful to have been on this journey with you.”
Neill would go on to reprise his role as Grant in both 2001’s Jurassic Park III and Jurassic World Dominion in 2022.
Bryce Dallas Howard – his co-star from the latter – also paid tribute to the actor.
“Sam. When we lived together in that little bubble for Jurassic World Dominion, in a hotel seven minutes from set, for four and a half months, I said that if anyone was going to go through a pandemic together, I was so glad it was with you. I still am,” she said.
“Sam was exactly who you hoped he’d be. Funny, warm, wickedly self-deprecating, endlessly kind. A beautiful human being who happened to also be Alan Grant. Sam had an immense passion for life. Generous with his wine, his stories, his time. One of the most unassumingly attractive and magnetic people I’ve ever met. One of the greats, in every sense. He loved his home. He loved his family, his pets, his farm. He was a friend to everyone.
“I’m so sad for the world today but especially for those who got to see him every day. He lit up every room he walked into and made the experience of being human feel dazzling. My heart is with his family and everyone who loved him. And truly, everyone did. I love you, Sam. I miss you. I love you.”
Chris Pratt – who played Owen Grady in the first three films of the Jurassic World franchise – also shared: “So devastated to hear the news of Sam’s passing. It was a privilege getting to work with him. All the laughs and memories. I’ll cherish forever. He is a true legend. Keeping his family in my prayers.”
Neill’s Jurassic Park co-stars Laura Dern and Jeff Goldblum also posted statements following his death.
“Sam was my beloved lifetime friend… He showed me the depths of loyalty, protectiveness, and love, always with the driest of wit. He was a true and noble gentleman, wrapped up in my dream leading man. I will love you forever, Dr Alan Grant,” Dern wrote.
“The next great adventure begins. Love, always and forever,” Goldblum said.
Jurassic Park director Spielberg also said in a statement that he “adored” making the movies with Neill.
“Along with Laura Dern and Jeff Goldblum, we will always have our Jurassic family, and Sam will never be forgotten by us or his many millions of fans around the world,” he said.
Announcing Neill’s death in a statement, his family shared that he died “surrounded by family and passed with the dignity that has characterised his whole life”.
“The loss was sudden and unexpected but blessed by the fact that Sam remained cancer-free,” they added.
Neill announced in April 2026 that he was cancer-free after treatment, three years after revealing he was battling a “ferocious” and aggressive form of non-Hodgkin lymphoma.
