‘That is so cruel’: Sam Neill mortified during interview on Today

Actor Sam Neill was left red-faced during a live interview on Today this morning, when he was surprised by a “cruel” video from his past.

Sam Neill live on Today.

Much-loved actor Sam Neill was left red-faced during a live interview on Today this morning, when he was surprised by a “cruel” video from his past.

New Zealand-born Neill, 75, appeared on the show via videolink to discuss his new memoir with entertainment reporter Brooke Boney.

Midway through the interview, though, Boney brought up Neill’s unsuccessful 1986 screen test to play James Bond – and had the footage cued up to play to viewers.

Spoiler alert: He didn’t get the job.

There was a 39-year-old Neill, shirt open and pistol in hand, as he walked in on a woman in bed and uttered the immortal words: “My friends call me Bond … James Bond.”

Neill buried his head in his hands with embarrassment as the clip played, jokingly wagging his finger at Boney and telling her: “Oh, my God, no – That is so cruel to play that, so cruel.”

Neill did graciously offer up some context to his embarrassment, revealing that it was a relief when he missed out on the role.

“I really did not want that part. My friend Pierce Brosnan wanted it so much … I felt so awkward all that day that we made it. I was so relieved they offered it to someone else – they’re welcome to it!”

Neill squirmed as the footage was played.

“You really don’t want to be the Bond that no-one likes. That’s a fate worse than death.”

Neill’s James Bond screen test came a year before Timothy Dalton took over the iconic movie role in 1987’s The Living Daylights. Dalton would last only one more film in the role, before Brosnan took over for a four-film stint as Bond with 1995’s Goldeneye.

Elsewhere in the interview, Neill opened up about the revelation from his new book that’s made the most headlines: That he recently underwent treatment for stage-three blood cancer.

He jokingly chastised the hosts for the “cruel” surprise.

Neill’s blunt reveal that he had been diagnosed with the disease is one of the first things mentioned in the book.

“The thing is, I’m crook. Possibly dying. I may have to speed this up,” he writes in the first chapter.

After two bouts of chemotherapy – the first of which failed – Neill is now in remission and cancer-free.

“I’m absolutely great. I’m in remission, and I’ve been in remission for about eight months now.

“But I did have nothing to do while I was going through some pretty severe chemotherapy, so I wrote this book. It gave me something to do … and I feel really good now.”

Originally published as ‘That is so cruel’: Sam Neill mortified during interview on Today