Sam Neill on making Hunt for the Wilderpeople: ‘We were attacked by a puppet pig!’

<p>Speaking just before his death, the actor recalled his hostile hunting dog Zag, director Taika Waititi’s comedy genius – and the wild boar scene that left children traumatised<strong><br>• Warning: contains spoilers</strong></p><p>Taika Waititi’s film <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boy_(2010_film)">Boy</a> is one of my favourites ever, so when I got the Wilderpeople script I was already well disposed to it. Hec is sort of a New Zealand archetype. When I was at university, during the holidays I’d work at cutting hay and shifting sheep and fertiliser. There was always a Hec driving the truck. They were men of very few words, but when they did say something it meant a lot. It was clear I was never going to have many lines in the film.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/film/2026/aug/10/sam-neill-taika-waititi-hunt-for-the-wilderpeople-julian-dennison">Continue reading...</a>