Sam Neill goes viral eating a "stupid plastic bag"

Greenpeace says more than 1.2 million people have now seen the quirky Sam Neill video of the Kiwi actor munching on a plastic bag.

The environmental campaigning organisation has just released a clip of bloopers from the film with Sam Neill deliberately stumbling over his lines.

The original video went viral after it was released on face book to mark the handover of a 65 thousand signature petition by Greenpeace, the Jane Goodall Institute and other environmental groups demanding that the NZ Government "ban the bag".

An open letter to Ministers was signed by Mayors, retailers and many other organisations demanding urgent action. It's been backed by former Prime Minister, Helen Clark.

"We’re delighted that our video’s become a smash hit. That’s great news for the turtles, seabirds and other marine life threatened by this plastic menace. The public reaction really shows just how front of mind the plastic bag issue is for New Zealanders and right around the world," says Greenpeace plastics campaigner Elena Di Palma.

It follows voluntary bans by two large supermarket groups after Greenpeace joined the campaign in the middle of last year.

"The timing has been amazing we have this massive wave of support behind the campaign including the arrival of the Round the World Boats in Auckland. Crews were saddened by the amount of plastic they encountered on their way here."

One of the yachts, ‘Turn the Tide on Plastic’ has been collecting data on the amount of microplastic in the Pacific. That data should be available soon.

Di Palma says the next step is to extend the conversation to all single use plastics, things like cutlery, bottles and straws which are finding their way into our precious oceans and killing marine life.

Ends

Link to Sam Neill Blooper video: https://greenpeace.app.box.com/v/sam-neill/file/281589731202

© Scoop Media