Christina Applegate on Finishing’ Dead to Me’ Season 3 on Her ‘Terms’ Despite MS Diagnosis
Dead to Me Season 3 could not go on without Christina Applegate as Jen Harding, so Netflix almost scrapped the rest of the season when the 50-year-old actor received a Multiple Sclerosis (MS) diagnosis. But Applegate insisted that they finish the series completing the story of two unlikely but inseparable friends, Jen and Judy (Linda Cardellini). The award-winning actor recalled that finishing Dead to Me Season 3 was the hardest thing she’s ever had to do.
Doctors diagnosed Christina Applegate with multiple sclerosis while filming ‘Dead to Me’ Season 3
Applegate was on set filming Dead to Me Season 3 in the summer of 2021 when she received the news — a diagnosis of multiple sclerosis. The autoimmune disease affects the brain and central nervous system. There’s no cure for MS, but treatments can help speed up the recovery from attacks and modify the course of the disease. The team shut down production on Dead to Me Season 3 for five months as Applegate began treatment.
“There was the sense of, ‘Well, let’s get her some medicine so she can get better,'” Applegate explained to the New York Times. “And there is no better. 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.”
MS varies widely from person to person. Some people with severe MS lose the ability to walk, while others might go lengths of time without any new symptoms.
“Although it’s not like I came on the other side of it, like, ‘Woohoo, I’m totally fine,'” she continued. “Acceptance? No. I’m never going to accept this. I’m pissed.”
On Oct. 27, 2022, Applegate tweeted a photo of her various walking sticks. She informed followers that she no longer leaves home without one. Instead, walking sticks are now a part of her “new normal.”
Netflix almost did not resume production on ‘Dead to Me’ Season 3
Applegate recalled that the Dead to Me production team debated canceling the remainder of filming for season 3. However, she insisted on resuming and finishing the third and final season.
“I had an obligation to Liz and to Linda, to our story,” Applegate continued to the outlet. “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.'”
The team only made minor changes to the season 3 script
The only minor changes to the Dead to Me Season 3 script involved blocking adjustments (staging the actors). Jen would be the one to open doors instead of Judy so that Jen could lean against them. The team also reduced the number of shots of Jen walking into rooms.
Applegate couldn’t work as long hours or in the heat without her body giving out. She used a wheelchair to get to the set, and sometimes she didn’t come to work at all. Everyone made adjustments, and Cardellini stepped in to insist on a break for Applegate when she knew her friend didn’t want to ask.
“She was my champion, my warrior, my voice,” Applegate said of Cardellini during their time filming season 3. “It was like having a mama bear.”
Dead to Me Season 3 hits Netflix on Nov. 17, 2022. The first two seasons are available for streaming on Netflix now.
