Alec Baldwin has come under fire online after posting a video tribute to the late Sam Neill, with fans accusing the star of making it about himself.
Neill, who starred in films such as Jurassic Park and The Piano, passed away “suddenly and unexpectedly” at St Vincent’s Hospital in Sydney on Monday, a statement from his family revealed.
Following the news, Baldwin, 68, took to social media to say that he was “stricken” by Neill’s death, before recalling the pair’s time filming the 1990 submarine thriller The Hunt for Red October.
“I just wanted to come on here quickly and say, how stricken I was to learn of the death of Sam Neill,” he said in a video posted to Instagram.
“When I did The Hunt for Red October, we shot in eighty-nine, it came out in nineteen-ninety, a long time ago.”
The 30 Rock star then spent much of the three-minute tribute reflecting on the film, listing its star-studded cast and recounting his favourite scenes.
“What an experience it was to do that movie with those people,” he said.
“I mean, I remember that. I remember… That’s one of the few movies I’ve ever done where I remember the whole movie. That’s what a fan I am of that, that work.”
He concluded the video, saying: “My love to his family. Wow. Rest in peace.”
Fans quickly took to Instagram to criticise Baldwin’s tribute, arguing that he spent more time talking about himself than the late Neill.
“You didn’t say much about Sam Neill but good introspection about Red October. I should see it again! Sam Neill was magnificent. Had a crush on him for decades!” one user wrote.
“I agree. I thought this was going to be about Sam more than the other actors,” another wrote.
One user sarcastically asked: “So, where’s the tribute about Mr Sam Neill?”
The criticism continued on X, where users accused Baldwin of making the tribute about himself.
“I didn’t hear a lot about Sam Neill in there..?” one user wrote, with another adding: “The guy is so caught up in himself that he talked about everything other than Sam Neill.”
“Was this post even about Sam?” a third chimed in.
Others, however, praised Baldwin’s message, with one person writing: “Always comforting to hear your tributes. So sad to lose him.”
“What a lovely tribute. The Hunt for Red October is my wife’s favourite film,” another penned.
On July 13, Neill died from pneumonia at the age of 78, just months after revealing he was cancer-free.
The Ireland-born actor was diagnosed with a rare form of non-Hodgkin lymphoma called angioimmunoblastic T-cell lymphoma (AITL) in 2022.
After a four-year blood cancer battle, he revealed on 7News in April that “there is no cancer in my body” after he took part in the CAR T-cell therapy clinical trial, adding: “That’s an extraordinary thing.”
It is understood that a private funeral service will be held to farewell Neill as his family honours his wish for a private service.