This Tiny But Significant Tweak Sam Neill Made To A Movie Costume Is Going Viral

The 1997 film "Event Horizon" was set in 2047. The actor thought the world should be more inclusive by then.
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Veteran actor Sam Neill made one tiny tweak to his “Event Horizon” costume that represented a world of difference.

Twitter user @Jayfuz resurfaced the piece of trivia from the futuristic 1997 film this week.

“Today I learnt: For the Sci-Fi Horror film ‘Event Horizon’ Sam Neill requested that the Australian flag on his character’s uniform remove the Union Flag from the corner,” the user tweeted.

The Union Jack ― the flag of the United Kingdom that’s featured in the top left of the Australian flag ― was replaced with the Aboriginal flag, “the way he thought it should look in 2047.”

There’s been debate over removing the Union Jack from Australia’s flag for decades. Proponents for its removal say it represents Australia as a British colony. And Indigenous leaders argue that the flag overall does not reflect the nation’s long history and serves as a symbol of oppression.

The “Jurassic Park” star confirmed he requested the change. “And I wouldn’t do it any differently today,” he said.

The two tweets were liked over 200,000 times.

The film, which also stars Lawrence Fishburne, is set in 2047 and follows a team of astronauts uncovering a horrifying black hole while on a space rescue mission. Neill portrays the Australian designer of the Event Horizon spacecraft, Dr. Billy Weir. (Neill is actually from New Zealand.)

According to a news article from the year of its release, the film’s director, Paul Anderson, encouraged actors to wear the flags of their respective countries on their uniforms. Other characters, including a British astronaut, wore a European Union flag with additional stars, another possible hint at a more united future. The Aboriginal flag is black and red with a yellow disk in the center.

Neill’s latest project, “Jurassic World: Dominion,” will see him reprise his classic role as Dr. Alan Grant alongside Jeff Goldblum and Laura Dern in a reunion of the original “Jurassic Park” cast. It’s set for release in June 2021.

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