New Zealand actor Sam Neill has passed away at the age of 78. Known around the world for his role as Dr. Alan Grant in Jurassic Park, Neill also leaves behind a meaningful legacy connected to Māori whānau, film, and Indigenous storytelling across Aotearoa, Australia, and the wider Pacific. Neill was Pākehā, not Māori. But he spoke proudly about his Māori grandchildren and described the history of colonization in the Pacific as part of his own family’s story. “A great deal of my family—my grandchildren—are Māori. This is my family’s story as well. My family are both colonisers and colonised,” Neill said while discussing his Captain Cook documentary. His career included Hunt for the Wilderpeople, the beloved Māori-led film written and directed by Taika Waititi and starring Julian Dennison, as well as Sweet Country, the Aboriginal-centred frontier drama directed by Kaytetye filmmaker Warwick Thornton. Neill also stepped away from acting for a year to present Uncharted with Sam Neill,...