Sam Neill reveals the story behind the unique flag he wore on his uniform in the film Event Horizon

Actor Sam Neill reveals the incredible story behind the unique Australian flag he wore on his uniform in the 1997 horror film Event Horizon

More than 20 years after the film’s release, Sam Neill has explained the unique Australian flag he wore on his uniform in Event Horizon.

The 72-year-old New Zealand actor played Dr William Weir in the 1997 sci-fi horror film, about a group of astronauts sent to investigate a lost spacecraft.

Sam wore a navy blue jumpsuit in the futuristic film, with a combination of the Australian flag and the Aboriginal flag on the sleeve.

Merging cultures: More than 20 years after the film’s release, Sam Neill (pictured) has explained the unique Australian flag he wore on his uniform in Event Horizon

The unique design replaced the Union Jack with the Aboriginal flag, merging the two iconic designs together.

A fan explained the apparent reasoning behind this in a post on Twitter on Wednesday, and Sam later confirmed their explanation.

‘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 & for it to be replaced with the Aboriginal flag, the way he thought it should look in 2047,’ wrote the fan.

Out of this world: The 72-year-old New Zealand actor played Dr William Weir in the 1997 sci-fi horror film, about a group of astronauts sent to investigate a lost spacecraft. Pictured during a British TV appearance in June 2020

Out of this world: The 72-year-old New Zealand actor played Dr William Weir in the 1997 sci-fi horror film, about a group of astronauts sent to investigate a lost spacecraft. Pictured during a British TV appearance in June 2020

Fun fact: A fan explained the apparent reasoning behind the flag's design in a post on Twitter on Wednesday, and Sam later confirmed their explanation

Fun fact: A fan explained the apparent reasoning behind the flag’s design in a post on Twitter on Wednesday, and Sam later confirmed their explanation

Sam responded to the tweet and said he had no regrets about changing the design: ‘This is indeed so. And I wouldn’t do it any differently today.’

In an interview with GQ Australia last month, Sam revealed his tendency to shun the limelight and said he doesn’t consider himself to be a celebrity.

‘When people call me a celebrity or star or something like that, these words are completely meaningless,’ he explained. 

Making history: Sam said he had no regrets about changing the design: 'This is indeed so. And I wouldn't do it any differently today'

Making history: Sam said he had no regrets about changing the design: ‘This is indeed so. And I wouldn’t do it any differently today’

‘Because I know people who are stars and I’m not one of them – they live completely different lives to me, and I don’t envy them.’

He also said that after moving his family to Los Angeles in the early ’90s, he decided to leave after a year, deciding it wasn’t a place he wanted to be.

‘I like going there, I have a lot of friends there and I’m always happy to work there, but I just don’t want to live there. It’s not conducive to my state of mind,’ he added. 

Low-key life: In an interview with GQ Australia last month, Sam revealed his tendency to shun the limelight and said he doesn't consider himself to be a celebrity. Pictured at the Sitges Film Festival in Spain in October 2019

Low-key life: In an interview with GQ Australia last month, Sam revealed his tendency to shun the limelight and said he doesn’t consider himself to be a celebrity. Pictured at the Sitges Film Festival in Spain in October 2019