‘Kept It Private At That Stage:’ Steve McQueen Talks About His Cancer Diagnosis Amid Working On Blitz

Steve McQueen revealed that he was diagnosed with prostate cancer but recovered from the same after a procedure that removed his tumor.

Updated on Nov 15, 2024  |  11:58 AM IST |  37.5K
Steve McQueen (CC: Getty images)
Steve McQueen (CC: Getty images)

Trigger Warning: This article contains mention of death.

Steve McQueen is a brave cancer survivor! and he is surely spreading awareness about it. The director talked about his prostate cancer diagnosis, which he got while working on his new film Blitz two years ago, per Deadline.


As per the publication, it was revealed to him that he had a small tumor. The filmmaker then had a procedure done to remove the cancerous tumor and now he has “fully recovered and is fully functional.”

While he was working on Biltz's production, he delayed its shoot by 2 weeks, and then he underwent the surgery. The 12 Years A Slave director did not want his latest venture’s cast and crew to worry so he reportedly kept his diagnosis a secret.

As per the outlet, McQueen stated, “I was just doing stuff in bed on the computer—working, emailing, and whatever," adding, “keeping it private at that stage." After he recovered, he came back on his project’s set as he really desired to get on with that job. He said that was who he was—someone who gets on with it.

McQueen’s father was also reportedly diagnosed with the same illness, but sadly, he passed away because of that in 2006. Apart from openly talking about his own diagnosis, McQueen has also established a new campaign for prostate cancer research.

The director urged men, especially Black individuals, to get early cancer screenings. As per the publication, the filmmaker mentioned that in some way his father saved his life, but sadly he passed away because of it.

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McQueen shared about knowing if it came his way and he was diagnosed with it, it could be handled in a very effective manner. The director said that other men are being left with devices of their own to navigate this by themselves.

He added, “So for me, it was about preempting it. The fact that I was preempting the situation for years was, again, my savior in that way. So, just preempt it and get it early.”

McQueen further said that the “tragedy” about it is that no one had to pass away because of it.

For the unversed, back in 2021, he released Embarrassed, a short film to raise awareness for prostate cancer in the Black community. He has also reportedly shot a new short film for the Proactive For Your Prostrate campaign that featured David Harewood.

As far as his latest venture goes, Blitz stars Saoirse Ronan, Paul Weller, Harris Dickinson, Elliot Hefferman, and many more. The film is available in select theaters and will be globally released on Apple TV+ on November 22, 2024.

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Credits: People, Deadline
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