Jurassic Park star Sam Neill and Australian actress Heather Mitchell open up for the first time on their brief romance

Jurassic Park star Sam Neill and Aussie actress Heather Mitchell briefly dated after meeting in 1985.

And the pair, who maintain a 40-year friendship, have now opened up about their short-lived romance for the first time. 

Interviewing each other for the latest issue of Stellar Magazine, New Zealand-born Neill, 76, and Mitchell, 66, said they are both still confused about why they split all those years ago.

‘Here’s a more important question: why did we break up?’ Neill queried Mitchell, revealing that the pair had never broached the topic before.

‘Well, I’ve got my version, and you have yours… I’ve always wanted to (discuss it). I think I did something that upset you. I can’t remember what it was,’ Mitchell said.

‘Well, I remember it differently. We were both invited to a party and you were upset with me for some reason,’ Neil replied.

‘So I turn up thrilled to see you – and you wouldn’t talk to me. You wouldn’t even look at me,’ he added. Frustrated, Neill left the party and flew to England.

Mitchell said she believed Neill was upset with her. 

Interviewing each other for the latest issue of Stellar Magazine, Neill and Mitchell said they are both still confused about why they split all those years ago

‘I thought you were mad with me… we might still be together if we had talked about this earlier,’ she added.

Mitchell, unaware of his departure, went to Neill’s place to resolve their issues but found out he had left the country.

Weeks later, she received a painting from Neill that symbolised their miscommunication.

‘Here’s a more important question: why did we break up?’ Neill queried Mitchell, revealing that the pair had never broached the topic before

Their romantic chapter may have been short-lived, but both Neill and Mitchell found happiness in other aspects of their lives. 

Mitchell married cinematographer Martin McGrath in February 1992, and the couple share two children together. 

Sam Neill shares a son with Kiwi actress Lisa Harrow, whom he met in 1980. 

He later married make-up artist Noriko Watanabe in 1989, and they have a daughter. Neill also adopted Watanabe’s daughter from her first marriage. 

Neill and Watanabe announced their separation in 2017.