Christina Applegate is looking back on how her battle with multiple sclerosis (MS) first started over five years ago. While working on the pilot episode of her Netflix show Dead to Me, which aired for three seasons from 2019 to 2022, she unknowingly experienced one of her early MS symptoms.
Christina Applegate shared on the MeSsy podcast with Jamie-Lynn Sigler that she remembers falling during a scene where her character, Jen, runs across a field.
She told the show’s creator, Liz Feldman, “Hi, first sign of MS!” as she realized it was one of the first signs of her multiple sclerosis.
I remember you losing your balance a few times, but it was hard to understand why. One night, we had been filming for about 14 or 15 hours, so it seemed normal that anyone might be exhausted and struggling.
Liz Feldman recalled,
In 2021, Christina Applegate shared that she had been diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS) while filming the third and final season of the Emmy-nominated series.
Feldman explained, “There’s no guide for this.” She could feel that Applegate was both scared and struggling with her body not working the way it usually did. Feldman reassured her repeatedly, saying,
It’s just a TV show; we’re making a TV show, and it’s all silly in the end!
I knew Christina well enough to realize that something serious must have been happening because she’s such a true professional.
She also added,
Applegate thanked Feldman and the crew for adjusting the production to make her more comfortable as her mobility got harder during the final season.
That wouldn’t happen anywhere else. I’m so grateful to you all for being kind and caring – because that’s what humans should do for each other. I can’t even explain how much that means to me. That’s not how things usually go!
She said,
In 2022, Applegate shared that she felt it was her “duty” to finish the show for Feldman and co-star Linda Cardellini after taking about five months to adjust to her MS diagnosis.
Applegate recalled telling The New York Times,
The people in charge wanted to stop filming and just put a few episodes together, but I said, ‘No. We’re going to finish it, but we’re going to do it my way.’
Although Applegate has said she likely won’t act on camera again, she told Vanity Fair that she’s still open to doing voiceover work.