The 'Dead to Me' star shared in a new interview that she has to walk with a cane and 'put on 40 pounds' as a result of her diagnosis.
Christina Applegate is opening up about her multiple sclerosis diagnosis and how it has affected her life in a candid new interview.
The 50-year-old actress was diagnosed with MS in the summer of 2021 while in the middle of filming the final season of Netflix's Dead to Me. Applegate publicly revealed her diagnosis on Aug. 10, 2021 in a tweet, writing in part, "It’s been a strange journey. But I have been so supported by people that I know who also have this condition." Her diagnosis halted production for several months as Applegate sought treatment.
In a New York Times interview published on Tuesday, Applegate recalled signs she had previously missed indicating that something was not right -- one of them dating back to her experience filming a season 1 dance sequence where she felt herself off-balance. "I wish I had paid attention. But who was I to know?" she said in the interview.
Applegate admitted that break in filming was a particularly difficult time for her, but the unexpected time away was vital. "There was the sense of, 'Well, let's get her some medicine so she can get better.' And there is no better," she said. "But it was good for me. I needed to process my loss of my life, my loss of that part of me. So I needed that time."
But the actress acknowledged that she will never fully accept her new reality as she continues her fight against MS. "Although it's not like I came on the other side of it, like, 'Woohoo, I'm totally fine.' Acceptance? No, I'm never going to accept this. I'm pissed."
Recently, Applegate shared a photo of her walking sticks as she prepares to do press for the final season launch of Dead to Me, which drops Nov. 17 on Netflix. In the interview, which she said marked the first time anyone has seen her physical state following her diagnosis, Applegate shared that she "put on 40 pounds" and she has to walk with the support of a cane.
Applegate also revealed that she felt obligated to finish out the Dead to Me story for creator Liz Feldman and her friend/co-star, Linda Cardellini, when discussions were had about whether they should resume filming the final episodes.
"I had an obligation to Liz and to Linda, to our story,” Applegate explained. “The powers that be were like, ‘Let’s just stop. We don’t need to finish it. Let’s put a few episodes together.’ I said, ‘No. We’re going to do it, but we’re going to do it on my terms.’”
Applegate recalled being brought to set in a wheelchair when she had difficulty walking. There were instances where one of the crew members, who was also a close friend, would sometimes hold up her legs off-screen. The Netflix series also reblocked many of her scenes to help facilitate Applegate's needs, which included her character opening doors more frequently so Applegate could use them as a support.
Interestingly enough, the upcoming episodes revolve around illness, which Applegate said made the experience of filming key scenes difficult. "When Linda and I would do those scenes, it crushed us sometimes," she shared.
With Dead to Me weeks away from dropping its final episodes, Applegate said in the interview she doesn't believe she'll ever watch it herself.
"If people hate it, if people love it, if all they can concentrate on is, 'Ooh, look at the cripple,' that's not up to me. I'm sure that people are going to be, like, 'I can't get past it,'" she theorized. "Fine, don't get past it, then. But hopefully people can get past it and just enjoy the ride and say goodbye to these two girls."
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