WhenSelma Blairwasdiagnosed with multiple sclerosisnearly one year ago, she was due to start work on a newNetflix series,Another Life— and admittedly thought that as soon as she revealed her diagnosis, she’d lose her role.
“I was expecting to be fired that day,” Blair, 47, tells PEOPLE exclusively in the latest issue. “I was fully expecting [the producers] to say, ‘Okay, we need to talk to the people who are in charge and we’ll get back to you. We wish you well and we’re so sorry.’ ”
Executive producer Noreen Halpern says that finding out about Blair’s fear of being fired “was devastating,” and further inspired her to support the actress.
“People should not have to have that sense of fear,” she says, and immediately went to work with her fellow producers, cast and crew to figure out what tools they could put in place to make Blair feel comfortable and supported.
Selma Blair.Carter Smith
“We agreed we would just write [any physical limitations] into her character,” Halpern says. “We went to the production designer right away, and he created a staff that was basically her communication device.”
“Selma was very honest and very humble in what she needed,” Sackhoff says. “You never really saw how hard it was for her but everybody acknowledged that she was working 10 times harder than the rest of us.”
Another Lifeis a sci-fi drama that revolves around a major intergalactic event — but at its core, it’s about family, says Sackhoff.
“It’s about how far you’ll go to protect the people that you love,” she says. “About faith and trust and teamwork and struggle and loss and everything that we can relate to right now.”
Katee Sackhoff inAnother Life.Netflix
In it, Blair plays a news and social media influencer who people look to in times of major events, and Halpern says they didn’t want anyone else to be cast in the role.
“I cannot tell you how perfect she is in this role,” Halpern says. “I challenge any viewer to actually see anything but the amazing strength of Selma Blair in the show.”
For her part, Blair says thatAnother Lifewas in many ways, the perfect post-diagnosis role for her.
Carter Smith
“I love the show. It is so apropos that it’s entitledAnother Lifebecause I was like, ‘Okay, this is my chance. This is my chance to stand up when something hits,’ ” she says, adding that the support she received was empowering.
“It’s huge because Icanstill work,” she says. “I might not have done the work I most wish I could because I was so concerned with covering it up still, but I’m still proud I was there. I’m so proud of the people in it.”
Another Lifelaunches July 25 on Netflix.
source: people.com
