Christina Applegate discusses her resolve to finish the final season of 'Dead To Me' amid her multiple sclerosis diagnosis - CNN

CNN  — 

Christina Applegate is opening up astir surviving with aggregate sclerosis, and however finishing her acclaimed amusement “Dead to Me” was important to her.

The actress, 50, spoke with the New York Times for an nonfiction published connected Tuesday, up of the premiere of the 3rd and last play of her Netflix bid aboriginal this month. Applegate reflected connected what it was similar to receive her MS diagnosis implicit the summertime of 2021 during filming. At the time, accumulation unopen down for astir 5 months arsenic she began attraction for the autoimmune illness that affects the cardinal tense system.

“There was the consciousness of, ‘Well, let’s get her immoderate medicine truthful she tin get better,’” Applegate said. “And determination is nary better. But it was bully for me. I needed to process my nonaccomplishment of my life, my nonaccomplishment of that portion of me. So I needed that time.”

The performer besides noted that aft that time, it wasn’t similar she “came connected the different broadside of it, like, ‘Woohoo, I’m wholly fine.’ Acceptance? No. I’m ne'er going to judge this. I’m pissed.”

She recalled adjacent further back, however she began to acquisition equilibrium and mobility issues arsenic aboriginal arsenic during accumulation connected the archetypal play of “Dead to Me,” which premiered successful May 2019.

“I privation I had paid attention,” she said. “But who was I to know?”

Over the accumulation pause, Netflix had considered shutting the amusement down indefinitely successful airy of her wellness news. But Applegate felt that she “had an obligation” to some Liz Feldman, the creator “Dead to Me,” and Linda Cardellini, her person and costar, arsenic good arsenic the story.

“The powers that beryllium were like, ‘Let’s conscionable stop. We don’t request to decorativeness it. Let’s enactment a fewer episodes together.’ I said, ‘No. We’re going to bash it, but we’re going to bash it connected my terms,’” she said.

And portion Applegate said that finishing the bid was the hardest happening that she has ever done, the unit and Cardellini, especially, had her backmost and supported her throughout.

“She was my champion, my warrior, my voice,” Applegate said of Cardellini. “It was similar having a mama bear.”

But Cardellini told the Times that she “just wanted the champion for the idiosyncratic that I emotion and attraction astir and person the grant to enactment with.”

It was successful keeping with her feelings connected Applegate close from their precise archetypal gathering for the show. “I conscionable had the contiguous feeling that we were going person each other’s backs,” Cardellini said. “Jen and Judy [their characters successful “Dead to Me”] enactment each other, emotion each other, assistance each different done things. Linda and Christina, the aforesaid thing.”

In summation to making definite to decorativeness retired the last season, it was besides important to Applegate to bash publicity for “Dead to Me” up of the Season 3 premiere connected Netflix connected November 17.

“This is the archetypal clip anyone’s going to spot maine the mode I am,” she said. “I enactment connected 40 pounds; I can’t locomotion without a cane. I privation radical to cognize that I americium precise alert of each of that.”

As for what viewers instrumentality distant from the last season, the “Samantha Who?” prima is hopeful, to a point.

“If radical hatred it, if radical emotion it, if each they tin ore connected is, ‘Ooh, look astatine the cripple,’ that’s not up to me,” she said. “I’m definite that radical are going to be, like, ‘I can’t get past it.’”

“Fine, don’t get past it, then,” she added. “But hopefully radical tin get past it and conscionable bask the thrust and accidental goodbye to these 2 girls.”