Nicole Kidman and Laura Dern remember Sam Neill in touching tribute

The Kiwi actor died on July 13, with his famous pals lining up to pay tribute in the weeks following his untimely passing aged 78.

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Sam Neill, Nicole Kidman and Laura Dern pictured together in 2019.
Sam Neill, Nicole Kidman and Laura Dern pictured together in 2019. Credit: Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic for HBO

Nicole Kidman and Laura Dern have teamed up to remember their late friend Sam Neill.

The Kiwi actor died on July 13, with his famous pals lining up to pay tribute in the weeks following his untimely passing aged 78.

Now Nicole — who starred alongside Sam in Dead Calm — and Laura, who famously acted opposite Sam in Jurassic Park, have remembered their mate, by tucking into a bottle of his wine together.

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Laura shared the picture on her Instagram Stories, writing over the top: “Raising a glass to our beloved friend and leading man, Sam.

“Just the way he would want, toasting with his gorgeous Pinot.”

The bottle of wine was from Two Paddocks — the wine company Sam founded back in 1993.

Both Laura and Nicole, who starred together in HBO series Big Little Lies, smiled as the photos was taken.

The Big Little Lies stars smiled as they posed with a bottle from Neill’s vineyard.
The Big Little Lies stars smiled as they posed with a bottle from Neill’s vineyard. Credit: @lauradern/Instagram

The A-list actresses aren’t the only people raising a glass of pinot to the late Jurassic Park star, however.

Alcohol retailers across New Zealand and Australia have revealed sales of the Two Paddocks wine range have soared dramatically since Neill’s death.

Since July 13, sales of the vineyard’s pinot noir have spiked by an astonishing 1828 per cent — with the red wine jumping from Liquorland NZ’s 423rd best selling bottle to their fifth most popular.

The bottles have also been in high demand across Liquorland stores in Australia, with the website listing the red wine as one of the most popular purchases this week.

Two Paddocks general manager Jacqui Murphy said the actor would have been “deeply moved” by the widespread support of his wine brand.

The late actor first founded the wine company in 1993 - the same year he starred in Jurassic Park alongside Dern.
The late actor first founded the wine company in 1993 - the same year he starred in Jurassic Park alongside Dern. Credit: Christopher David Thompson/Two Paddocks

“I’m sure he would regret the reason they needed to do this but he talked about wine being conviviality, connecting people,” she said.

“I think he would think it was very apt and he’d be even more excited that they were, of course, drinking his Two Paddocks.”

Dean McHenry, who manages Two Paddocks’ distributor Negociants New Zealand, said the brand had always been popular but demand has boomed in the past week.

“I just think it shows what he meant to us as a nation at the bottom of the world,” he said.

Aside from the Jurassic Park films, Neill was also known for the Hunt for the Wilderpeople, Rams — shot in WA’s Great Southern region — and The Twelve.

He still has two other unreleased projects upcoming — Godzilla x Kong: Supernova and The Last Resort.

Originally published on Bang Showbiz

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