Netflix star reveals secret health battle which was written into hit show
Laura Weedman, 56, who portrays the role of chef Patrice on the drama, was diagnosed with Bell's palsy last summer.
Speaking with The Huffington Post on Tuesday, the actress detailed her health battle, and how she dealt with it on a professional level.
'The idea of sitting out and waiting for it to get better was just not an option,' Weedman told the outlet.
Weedman said that she opened up to the shows creator Molly Smith Metzler and director Quyen Tran about the medical situation and how they would move forward with it collectively.
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The Mayo Clinic describes Bell's palsy as 'a condition that causes sudden weakness in the muscles on one side of the face' which 'makes half of the face appear to droop.'
According to the clinic, 'Smiles are one-sided, and the eye on the affected side is hard to close.'
While it is not immediately clear what causes the confliction, the clinic said, 'experts think it's caused by swelling and irritation of the nerve that controls the muscles on one side of the face.
Weedman, who has been in the business more than 30 years, told the publication she 'wanted to talk to' the creator-showrunner and director about the issue so she 'wouldn't be stressed' during the remainder of a vacation the cast was on in between filming episodes.
Weedman - whose small screen credits include regular roles on Abbott Elementary and Hacks - said she had past had a mild case of the condition when she gave birth to her son, Leo, now 15.
Metzler said that she, cast and crew 'didn't even wanna conceive of the show without' Weedman, who has also made appearances on Arrested Development, Euphoria and Will & Grace.
Metzler added, 'At that point, I had fallen in love with Lauren like everyone else had, I just felt awful that she was going through something like that.
'We didn't even wanna conceive of the show without her in it.'
Weedman praised Metzler's kindness in adapting the script to accommodate her health.
'It was really hard for me to think that I mattered,' said Weedman, whose character was scripted the line, 'Every summer, this happens; the stress of this job, my Bell's palsy is back.'
The cast of the Netflix series, which began streaming May 22, also includes Julianne Moore as Michaela Kell; Kevin Bacon as Peter Kell; Meghann Fahy as Devon DeWitt; Milly Alcock as Simone DeWitt.
Rounding out the cast are Glenn Howerton as Ethan Corbin; Bill Camp as Bruce DeWitt; and Felix Solis as Jose.
The Mayo Clinic said Bell's palsy 'could be caused by a reaction that occurs after a viral infection' and 'can occur at any age.'
The clinic said that symptoms subsiding varies by the patient.
'Symptoms usually start to improve within a few weeks, with complete recovery in about six months, the clinic said. 'A small number of people continue to have some Bell's palsy symptoms for life. Rarely, Bell's palsy occurs more than once.'
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