Steve McQueen Reveals He Was Diagnosed with Prostate Cancer Weeks Before Blitz Production Began

Steve McQueen revealed he was diagnosed with prostate cancer two years ago.

During a routine checkup while the filmmaker was working on his latest project, Blitz, he was informed of a small tumor on his prostate, he told Deadline. 

The 12 Years a Slave director underwent surgery to remove a cancerous tumor and is now "fully recovered and fully functional." At the time of the production, he “delayed the shoot by two weeks and then had the procedure.” 

The Academy Award-winning director, 55, explained in order not to “concern” the Blitz cast and crew, he kept his diagnosis a secret. "I was just doing stuff in bed on the computer — working, emailing, and whatever," he said, adding that he “kept it private at that stage."

Following his recovery, he returned to set because he “really just wanted to get on with the job.” Adding, "And that's kind of like who I am. I'm a 'get on with it' kind of person."

McQueen, whose father died of prostate cancer in 2006, launched a new campaign for Prostate Cancer Research. As a result of his family history and diagnosis, he is urging other men, especially Black men, to get early cancer screenings. 

“In some ways, you could say my dad saved my life because, unfortunately, he died of it,” he told the outlet.

“I knew that if it did come my way if I did get it, it could be dealt with in an extremely effective way, and that’s the end of it,” he said. Noting that other men “are being left to their own devices to navigate this on their own.”

Prostate cancer is the second-most common cancer among American men. Over one in eight American men, according to the American Cancer Society. For Black men, that figure is one in six. Black men are also twice as likely to die from prostate cancer than White men, CNN reported.

"One in 12 Black men will die of prostate cancer," McQueen said. "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."

“The tragedy of this is no one has to die of it,” McQueen added. “That’s the tragedy.” 

He has also taken his activism to the screen. In 2021, he released a short film, Embarrassed, to raise awareness of prostate cancer in the Black community. The film featured Idris Elba, Morgan Freeman, and other stars.

He has also filmed a new short film for the Proactive for Your Prostrate campaign featuring David Harewood. 

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Blitz is now in select theaters and debuts globally Nov. 22 on Apple TV+.