Sam Neill on naming his cows after famous actors: ‘One can’t really eat Helena Bonham Carter’

Sam Neill has discussed naming his farm animals after celebrities, from Helena Bonham Carter to Graham Norton.

“One can’t really eat Helena Bonham Carter,” the Jurassic Park star told The Times.

“When you’ve got a cow that’s a national treasure you can’t turn her into sausages. My current bull is Graham Norton – he’s taken over from Jimmy [James] Nesbitt.”

Neill also has pigs called Angelica Huston and Imogen Poots and a rooster named Michael Fassbender.

Bonham Carter and Neill starred together in the Nineties films Merlin and The Revengers’ Comedies.

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Neill was discussing animals in the context of his new film Rams, a comedy about two estranged brothers who must set aside their differences when a rare and lethal illness threatens their respective flocks of sheep in Western Australia.

Much of Neill’s dialogue in the film is addressed to animals. This apparently came quite naturally to the actor, whose organic vineyard is home to dozens of cows, sheep, hens and pigs.

Rams will be released on digital platforms on 5 February.