Christina Applegate is talking about the dramatic impact of multiple sclerosis and how filming for the last season of the Netflix series "Dead to Me" was the "hardest thing" she's ever had to do.
"This is the first time anyone's going to see me the way I am," the actor told The New York Times in an interview published Tuesday. "I put on 40 pounds; I can't walk without a cane. I want people to know that I am very aware of all of that."
Applegate revealed her diagnosis last year, saying on Twitter that although it has been a "strange" and "tough" journey, she was determined to keep moving forward.
"I have been so supported by people that I know who also have this condition," she tweeted. "It's been a tough road. But as we all know, the road keeps going. Unless some a**hole blocks it."
Applegate has not backtracked on her vow to keep moving forward — even though at times she struggled to work as hard or as long as she previously was able to while filming the new season of "Dead to Me."
At times she had to use a wheelchair on set and struggled to walk down the stairs of her trailer. Some days, Applegate couldn't work at all. But as the Times noted, there were also good moments. Applegate got to experience the love and support of the crew. And she was determined to give the show the send-off it deserved.
That's not to say she doesn't have insecurities about how viewers will react to her physical state.
"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 said. "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."
Zoe Papadakis ✉
Zoe Papadakis is a Newsmax writer based in South Africa with two decades of experience specializing in media and entertainment. She has been in the news industry as a reporter, writer and editor for newspapers, magazine and websites.
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