Sam Neill’s candid confession to Kelly Clarkson

Nigel Neill and Annette Bening in "Apples Never Fall". Photo / AP

Kiwi acting star Sam Neill appeared on The Kelly Clarkson Show this week (wearing his favourite yellow socks) to promote Apples Never Fall – which Clarkson described as “incredible” – and the pair discussed Sam’s not-so-secret real name, in a conversation that’s made headlines.

It was the first question Clarkson threw at the star.

“It’s embarrassing that you know that,” he responded, explaining that he was christened Nigel Neill. “It’s like my parents had given me a disadvantage from the start.”

Clarkson challenged him on the name, saying it sounded strong, but Neill countered that “you never want to be called Nigel” explaining that phrase Nigel-no-mates.

“There are no film actors called Nigel Neill,” he said. “That’s never going to happen.”

(Though that hasn’t stopped several famous Nigels, including Barker and Farage.)

Neill also revealed that when he was 10 his best friend was called Nigel Nut. “That was a disadvantage,” he said elegantly. They liked Westerns, he explained, and inspired by the genre they decided to choose nicknames for themselves. “I was called Sam and he was called Bill, and that was the best decision I ever made,” he said.

Though the revelation was a surprise for international fans, Kiwis have known the truth for a few years, and it’s not the first time he’s discussed the topic

Neill first revealed his former name in his 2023 book Did I Ever Tell You This (in which he also discussed his cancer battle) that he was originally called Nigel John Dermot Neill when he was born in Northern Ireland.

Decamping to New Zealand when he was 7, as a child he was embarrassed by the name Nigel, and at 11 he decided to officially change his name, selecting the more simple “Sam”.

He’s never looked back.

“The one thing I resent about my parents, the only thing, is that they called me Nigel. Changing my name to Sam at the age of 11 was probably the best decision I made in my life.”

He clung to the new name with great enthusiasm, he told the Otago Daily Times in 2009, in an effort to avoid bullying. “Nigel was a little effete for the rigours of a New Zealand playground.”

The decision has done him well, with Sam Neill appearing on movie billing around the world for decades, as the actor appeared in hits like the Jurassic Park franchise and Hunt for the Wilderpeople. His latest show, Apples Never Fall, can be seen now on TVNZ+.

He returned to New Zealand last month to promote the show, and check on the harvest at his Central Otago Vineyard.