Christina Applegate Went to Therapy After Filming the Netflix Series ‘Dead to Me’
Sometimes life imitates art.
For actress Christina Applegate, life did just that after she wrapped filming on Netflix’s new series, Dead to Me, when she went to therapy like her character in the show who attended group grief counseling sessions.
What is ‘Dead to Me’ about?
Dead to Me is comprised of ten 30-minute episodes. A dark comedy fused with a drama, the show focuses on Jen Harding (Christina Applegate) and her experience with grief in the months following the sudden death of her husband who died at the hand of a hit-and-run driver.
Harding, a real estate agent and mother of two, attends a group grief counseling session in her home of Southern California and meets Judy Hale (Linda Cardellini).
After a brief and somewhat awkward exchange, they begin talking on the phone late at night because they both have trouble sleeping.
Soon they become close friends bonding over their shared grief of losing someone close to them. Harding later learns there’s much more to her new friend’s life than she previously let on.
Cast members include Applegate, Cardellini, James Marsden, Ed Asner, Max Jenkins among others.
Filming took a mental toll on Applegate
Applegate explained to Variety why she went to therapy after filming Season 1 of Dead to Me at the show’s premiere at Broad Stage in Santa Monica, California, in early May 2019.
The Anchorman actress told the publication she used her own life experiences to get into character. “It tapped into some stuff that I had to face. It was cathartic,” she said.
“I don’t know if [it was] therapeutic. Did I start therapy after I shot the show? Yes, absolutely,” she said.
“To like finally talk about the stuff that hurt you in your life — and heal from that? I think it’s [a] really beautiful thing,” she added.
Filming took a physical toll on Applegate
Not only did filming Dead to Me take a mental toll on Applegate but a physical one too.
“I was in traction for a week because I hadn’t danced in 10 years before that day,” Applegate explained to Variety about an elaborate dance routine she did in one scene in the show. “So it hurt,” she added. “This old body? This 47- year-old body can’t do it anymore.”
The actress also talked about grief and how it manifests itself in different forms depending on the person. “Jen, my character, is grieving in [the] worst way possible, but that’s her way,” Applegate said. “And I think that we should all be allowed to do that when we need to. Grief doesn’t have a timeline. And grief is messy.”
Is Season 2 of ‘Dead to Me’ in the works?
Season 1 of Dead to Me has a lot of twists and turns. Needless to say, the finale episode left many questions unanswered and created even more questions when it ended on a cliffhanger.
Fans of the show have many positive things to say about Season 1 of the series and are already asking if there will be a second season. No answers have been provided yet, according to Esquire, although with the show’s success, fans should hopefully get an answer soon.
