Selma Blair Says She ‘Did Give Up’ on Acting Due to MS But Is Now ‘Open for Business’
Selma Blair is ready for her closeup once again. The actress, 52, previously thought that multiple sclerosis would prevent her from acting again, but she’s now ready to get back in the game.
“I did give up forever. I never thought I would, or [thought] that my voice would be distracting if it comes in and out between medicine or [after] heat or a long day,” Blair exclusively told Us Weekly during her July 2024 cover story interview. “I didn't even try because I wouldn't want to ever disappoint someone. But no, I will definitely [act again]. I’m open for business.”
(In addition to MS, the actress also has spasmodic dysphonia, a condition that affects the muscles in the larynx.) When mulling potential comeback vehicles, Blair expressed interest in working with White Lotus creator Mike White, whom Jennifer Coolidge has credited with revitalizing her career.
“Now, I would like nothing more than to get a call from, say, Mike White, like Jennifer Coolidge did once upon a time,” Blair said. “We always hope for that deus ex machina that comes in and says, ‘Oh, your dreams can still come true here.’”
Blair rose to prominence for her roles in ‘90s and 2000s films including Cruel Intentions, Legally Blonde and The Sweetest Thing, and she’s now looking forward to playing more mature parts.
“I really am excited to be a grownup,” she said. “I haven’t really ever been a grownup on film.”
Blair was diagnosed with MS in 2018, but her symptoms began long before then. She told Us that she “became much happier” after discovering the cause behind the “jerks and spasms” she’d been experiencing for years.
“I honestly thought I was making it up before I was diagnosed. I just thought, ‘Jesus, Selma, you’re very broken inside. Admit it,’” she recalled. “I didn’t know I wasn’t broken and that I had brain tissue damage.”
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Once Blair better understood her health challenges, her perception of herself began to change.
“Given everything I've gone through — especially the sadness turning around — I believe in miracles. Because I believed that was a human character trait, that I was eternally grieving and that would never change. I was sure of it,” she said. “No matter how much I didn't drink, I'd always be miserable because I am sad. That was the story I always told myself that felt real. But I'm not sad. I mean, I'm sad [about] things and I'll always admit it, but I love this life.”
Now that she’s eight-years sober and in remission, Blair is feeling better than ever about herself.
“My horoscope last year said I would turn beautiful this year. I’m really shocked and pleased,” she said. “There is such a thing as the gravity of grief. I realize what I have to do to take care of myself more now. I also accept all the things that come with the physical parts of me that have changed, and that was a huge beauty boost.”
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While Blair’s path has not been easy — she noted that it took her “seven doctors to find out how to halt [her] MS” — she tries to find levity whenever she can.
“If you’re not having some fun in your day, even though life’s not necessarily fun, then it’s miserable,” she said. “And I don’t want to live miserably.”
Watch the exclusive video above and read more in this week’s relaunch issue of the brand-new Us Weekly, featuring 12 additional pages, a redesigned look and new franchises you’ll love — on newsstands now.
With reporting by Andrea Simpson
