https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/articles/actor-lauren-weedman-diagnosed-bell-120006094.htmlThen, last August, the 56-year-old actor experienced severe facial paralysis.
Weedman had developed Bell’s palsy, which temporarily paralyzes the muscles on one side of the face. The exact cause of the condition is unknown, but Bell’s palsy often stems from a viral infection that inflames the facial nerve. Stress can be a contributor. Her symptoms included complete freezing of the right side of her face, an inability to align her lips and smile normally, an inability to close her right eye, headache and general malaise.
The paralysis began at the start of a three-week break from work. Weedman wasn’t auditioning for new gigs. She was already employed, having shot two episodes of the new hourlong dark comedy “Sirens,” which premiered May 22 on Netflix.
The idea of sitting out and waiting for it to get better just was not an option,” Weedman wrote in a text to me.
Some patients diagnosed with Bell’s palsy experience drastic improvement in a few weeks. Many performers might’ve stayed silent about the condition, hoping to pick up where they left off once production resumed. Weedman knew she couldn’t afford to wait out the symptoms. Not only because the single mom needed the money, but because she desperately wanted to remain part of that stellar “Sirens” ensemble.
So, she suggested they write Bell’s palsy into her character’s storyline. Metzler, surprised and impressed that Weedman was “so, so game,” agreed.
This wasn’t Weedman’s first bout with Bell’s palsy. She’d had a mild case while pregnant with her son, Leo, now 15, but it resolved relatively swiftly. This felt dreadfully different.
By the time she returned to set, Weedman had gone through steroid and antiviral therapy, was receiving acupuncture and had quit drinking to reduce inflammation. At night, she’d tape her right eye shut to keep it from drying out. While she feared her performance would suffer, it didn’t. But the fatigue and pain were unrelenting, and the prospect of watching herself made Weedman cringe.
And so, she marches on, buoyed by the unconditional support of her teen son, who told her, “Mom, it’s no big deal. This is your Bell’s palsy era, that’s all.”
