Sam Neill’s death has inspired an outpouring of stories from the people who knew and worked with him, and each one has made the loss feel a little harder to process. The Jurassic Park star died July 13 at 78, leaving behind a career filled with everything from dinosaurs and submarines to intimate dramas. Still, some of the most moving remembrances have focused on the warmth and humor he brought when the cameras were not rolling. And perhaps one of the most touching memories is a video with his fellow original Jurassic Park family singing a Beatles song together.
Bryce Dallas Howard shared one such memory on Instagram, posting a video from the Jurassic World: Dominion production. In the clip, Neill sits at a piano with Laura Dern and Jeff Goldblum, the three original JP stars, as they sing the Beatles’ “Blackbird.” Goldblum plays the keys while his longtime co-stars lean in beside him, and it is difficult to imagine a sweeter image of the friendship that grew around these movies.
Howard explained that the moment came from the unusual period when the Dominion cast lived together while completing the movie during the COVID-19 pandemic. She spent four and a half months in a hotel seven minutes from the set with Neill and others, forming a close-knit bubble.
In her caption, Howard remembered being grateful that Neill was among the people with whom she endured that uncertain stretch. She described him as funny, warm, self-deprecating and kind, adding that he was exactly the person fans hoped the man behind Alan Grant would be. Howard also wrote about his generosity with his wine, stories and time, along with his love for his family, pets, farm and home.
That tribute adds another layer to the video. Neill, Dern and Goldblum are not performing a scene or recreating one of the franchise’s familiar moments. They are simply crowded around a piano months into living and working together, singing while the outside world remained frightening and unpredictable.
Jurassic World Dominion received plenty of attention for bringing Alan Grant, Ellie Sattler and Ian Malcolm back together nearly 30 years after Jurassic Park. The movie marketed their reunion as a major franchise event, and seeing the three actors share the screen again was one of its biggest selling points. Watching Howard’s clip now makes that reunion feel far more personal.
There is something especially moving about seeing Neill beside two of his most iconic co-stars. Together, the three actors helped turn Jurassic Park and the ensuing franchise into a classic and launch a series that has lasted for decades. Yet the affection captured in this video belongs to friends who shared premieres, sequels and reunions long after Isla Nublar first brought them together.
Howard also shared a smiling selfie in which she peeks over Neill’s shoulder. It is a much smaller image than the musical reunion, but it carries the same sense of closeness. Her tribute is less interested in cataloging Neill’s accomplishments than in showing the person his colleagues knew between takes.
The choice of “Blackbird” gives the clip added emotional weight, though the moment never feels staged for an audience. Their voices are loose and unguarded, and Neill looks entirely comfortable sitting next to Goldblum and Dern. It is the sort of candid memory that can say more about a person than a formal tribute.
For generations of viewers, Neill will always be the man who made paleontology look heroic and stared down a Tyrannosaurus rex as Dr. Alan Grant. Bryce Dallas Howard’s post offers another image worth holding onto: Neill at a piano, singing beside old friends and looking completely at home.
For those wondering where to watch all of Sam Neill’s Jurassic films, each movie is available to rent with an Amazon Prime Video subscription. His final adventure with the dinosaurs, Jurassic World: Dominion, is also available to stream with a Netflix subscription.
