‘People are fascinated by crime’: Why actor Sam Neill followed mushroom murder trial with ‘considerable interest’

The veteran actor has opened up about the real reason he was completely engrossed by the Erin Patterson murder trial – and why the ‘question of guilt is intriguing’.

Long before he took on the role of a defence lawyer in The Twelve, Sam Neill briefly studied law at university.

And while he quickly realised that “real-life” law wasn’t for him, the actor is happy to keep returning to the chambers, particularly after filming the third season of the drama in Western Australia.

The reason? As he reveals, “They don’t require wigs in court.”

Like so many television viewers, Sam Neill enjoys getting swept up in a courtroom drama. The 77-year-old New Zealander relished watching Australian actor Leo McKern arguing for underdogs as the titular barrister in 1970s British TV series Rumpole Of The Bailey.

More recently, he was engrossed by the real-life trial of Gippsland mother Erin Patterson, who was this month found guilty of murdering three relatives by poisoning them with a beef Wellington laced with deadly mushrooms.

Sam Neill has opened up about why he was gripped by the recent mushroom murder trial – and what it says about society’s ‘fascination’ with crime. Picture: Annette Dew

“For some reason, people are fascinated by crime, and the question of guilt or otherwise is always intriguing,” Neill tells The Binge Guide.
“I’m in Australia currently, and, like most of Australia, I followed the mushroom case with considerable interest.

“I read somewhere that more women than men have an interest in crime stories, but

I’m not an authority on this.”

While Neill’s own courtroom theatrics in The Twelve scored him a Best Lead Actor Logie nomination at next week’s ceremony, he believes his old friend, the late McKern, was the best TV lawyer in the business.

Listen to a new episode of the Stellar podcast Something To Talk About below featuring Glennon Doyle:

“The incomparable McKern played Rumpole with unforgettable elan,” Neill enthuses of the Sydney-born star.

“Pretty much all his career was in the UK and we worked together on [1983 mini-series] Reilly, Ace of Spies. The last time I saw him, we were doing a film in Hawaii [1999 drama Molokai: The Story Of Father Damien].

“Leo died pretty soon after that. I remain grateful for knowing him and having had the honour of working with him.”

Mushroom killer Erin Patterson. Picture: AFP

Erin Patterson’s laywers pitcured outside the Supreme Court of Victoria during her trial. Patterson was found guilty of murder. Picture: NewsWire / Diego Fedele

Sam Neill was gripped by Patterson’s trial. Picture: Getty Images

For a time, Neill’s interest in legal matters extended beyond what he saw on screen or read in the newspaper, and he even flirted with becoming a real-life barrister.

Ultimately, he says, his brief stint studying law at university showed he was completely unsuited for that profession.

“Acting as a lawyer, given that I have a few lawyer friends I draw on mercilessly in my characterisation, is another thing altogether. Great fun!” he says of playing Brett Colby for a third time in the upcoming The Twelve: Cape Rock Killer.

“And I didn’t need to pass any exams. Thank God.”

Apart from returning to the Jurassic Park universe in 2022’s Jurassic World: Dominion and starring in the first two seasons of Peaky Blinders, Neill doesn’t make a habit of reprising his past work.

‘It’s a bit like putting on an old, comfortable pair of shoes.’ Sam Neill on The Twelve. Picture: Getty Images

He has made another exception with The Twelve, having grown increasingly fond of his curmudgeonly character since first playing him in the 2022 adaptation of the original Belgian series.

“It’s a bit like putting on an old, comfortable pair of shoes, although in this case obviously handmade shoes from perhaps Yorkshire,” he jokes of the role.

As with the previous two instalments, The Twelve: Cape Rock Killer examines the biases and personal lives of the jurors sitting in judgement, while also providing a riveting case for viewers to mull over at home.

This time, Colby’s defence of an old friend stems from two crimes: the historic killing of two teenage girls, and the recent murder of the woman investigating their deaths.

While it’s mostly the whodunnit that keeps viewers tuning in for answers, for Neill it’s been the unravelling of Colby’s life outside the courtroom that has held his interest.

“We get to see where and how he lives, and something of his shambolic private life,” he says of season three. “In particular, there’s the prolonged reunion with his estranged son from New Zealand.”

Filming in Western Australia’s Margaret River was another drawcard for Neill – who owns a vineyard in New Zealand’s Central Otago – as it “meant good food, and more importantly, good wine after work”.

He enjoyed revisiting the role (and the region’s esteemed Cabernet Sauvignon) so much that he says he would happily return for a fourth hurrah as Colby should the opportunity present itself – “particularly as in WA they don’t require wigs in court”, he quips of the uncomfortable headwear worn by lawyers in other parts of Australia.

“I’ve loved doing the whole three series, and it’s been great how well received it has been.”

The Twelve: Cape Rock Killer premieres on August 4 on Binge and Foxtel. Read the full cover story with Sam Neill in today’s The Binge Guide, inside the Sunday papers.

For more from The Binge Guide, Stellar and the podcast, Something To Talk About, click here.

Originally published as ‘People are fascinated by crime’: Why actor Sam Neill followed mushroom murder trial with ‘considerable interest’