Across his multi-decade career as an actor, Sam Neill appeared in nearly 200 film and television series across the globe. Perhaps best remembered (at least in this household) as Dr. Alan Grant of the Jurassic Park series, Neill recently faced one of his most challenging roles as Stan Delaney, the gruff and driven patriarch of the Delaney family in Apples Never Fall. The role, Neill admits, was one that stretched him as an actor because he adopted the persona of an athletic alpha male, something far removed from his personal experiences.
Based on the novel by Big Little Lies author Liane Moriarty, Apples Never Fall features the Delaney family, a once-powerful tennis dynasty. When mother Joy (Annette Bening) mysteriously disappears, the Delaney children must decide to support or distance themselves from their father, Stan (Neill), when all evidence points to Stan’s involvement with Joy’s disappearance. This series of traumatic events threatens to tear the family apart across allegiances as they wrestle with the potential of Joy’s death and with a legacy of an unpleasant childhood.
Here, in an interview with Awards Daily, Neill reveals what about Stan Delaney inspired him to take on the role and what challenged and stretched his as an actor. He talks about building chemistry with Academy Award-nominee Annette Bening and working in the powerhouse ensemble, particularly with co-star Jake Lacy with whom he shares several difficult sequences.
He also ponders whether or not tennis die-hard Stan would approve of the increasingly popular tennis off-shoot pickleball. Finally, he talks about moments within his own life that inspired some of his acting choices in the role.
Apples Never Fall streams exclusively on Peacock.
![2026 Oscars: Best Actress [POLL] Chase Infinity to Campaign in Lead](https://www.awardsdaily.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/GnDy5PKXEAAnUOE-120x86.jpeg)
