Lauren Weedman Navigates Bell’s Palsy While Shooting Netflix’s Sirens, Then Keeps Working With Support From Cast and Crew
The actor continued filming during illness, helped shape her on-screen persona, and received backing from producers as she pursues a full recovery.
Lauren Weedman was diagnosed with Bell’s palsy in August 2024, a condition that temporarily paralyzed the muscles on the right side of her face. The 56-year-old actor pressed ahead with work, finishing two episodes of Netflix’s Sirens during a planned three-week break and opting not to pause production to focus on recovery. The decision underscored Weedman’s commitment to her colleagues and to maintaining a presence in one of Hollywood’s most active ensembles even as her symptoms intensified.
Her doctors described the onset as sudden facial paralysis, with Weedman experiencing a complete freeze on the right side, difficulty matching lips and smile, an inability to close her right eye, along with headaches and fatigue. She told colleagues that waiting for improvement wasn’t an option—the family’s financial realities and her professional obligations weighed into her choice to continue working.
With three episodes left to shoot, Weedman and Sirens’ creative team found a path that kept the show moving while honoring her health. Showrunner Molly Smith Metzler recounted that Weedman spoke up early in the process, and the team decided to adapt. Rather than stepping away, Weedman proposed weaving her Bell’s palsy into her character Patrice’s arc. “I wanted to talk to [the Sirens] team about it as soon as I could so I wouldn’t be stressed the whole time,” Weedman said in a Zoom interview from Santa Monica. Metzler, who directed Episodes 3 and 4, said she grew to appreciate Weedman’s candor and humor. “We didn’t even wanna conceive of the show without her in it,” Metzler said. “It’s such a terrific character trait.”
This wasn’t Weedman’s first bout with Bell’s palsy. She’d experienced a mild case while pregnant with her son, Leo, now 15, but this episode felt different and more persistent. By the time she returned to set, Weedman had undergone steroid and antiviral therapy, pursued acupuncture, and quit drinking to reduce inflammation. At night, she taped her right eye shut to prevent corneal drying. Yet she remained focused on her art and her character’s integrity. “If it serves the character, I don’t care if I look heavy or fat or bad or whatever,” Weedman said. “But this one was a new level of [vanity].”
As Sirens wrapped, Weedman didn’t retreat from the screen. She continued recurring work on two other hit series: Abbott Elementary, where she plays Kristin Marie Schemmenti, and Hacks, where she portrays Las Vegas Mayor Jo Pezzimenti. The on-set approach to her health was collaborative, with producers prioritizing her well-being and allowing her to perform when she felt ready. Hacks’ creator, showrunner and director Lucia Aniello stressed the team’s willingness to adapt to Weedman’s needs. “Our first and foremost concern was her health, and whether she felt comfortable being on camera,” Aniello wrote in a statement. “When she said she wanted to shoot, we just went with it.”
Quinta Brunson, creator and star of Abbott Elementary, framed Weedman’s experience within a broader context of normalizing difference. “The way I look at it, that is what normalizes any form of otherness,” Brunson said. “Her dealing with it falls in line with who [Lauren] is. She just rolls with the punches and does her job.” Weedman’s resilience resonated with colleagues and fans alike, as she appeared in the 2024 Christmas episode of Abbott Elementary and continued to contribute to the ensemble.
Since filming those projects, Weedman’s facial function has visibly improved, but a neurologist cautioned that full recovery could take as long as a year. Weedman credited her talent reps, Christie Smith and Lindsay Cohen of Rise Management, with helping secure roles as her recovery progressed. She recently landed a guest spot as a psychotherapist on the upcoming second season of Netflix’s Nobody Wants This, a matter she attributes in part to her ongoing professional relationships and her determination to stay working while healing. The decision also meant continuing the fight to regain full facial control would be part of her career long after the Bell’s palsy diagnosis.
The experience has shaped Weedman’s outlook on acting and health. She acknowledged that some opportunities were unavailable during the period when her symptoms limited her facial expressiveness, noting that she lost parts on at least two series, including a new comedy and an Emmy-nominated drama, due to not yet regaining full control of her features. Yet she remains at peace with the path forward, buoyed by support from her teenage son, who told her, “Mom, it’s no big deal. This is your Bell’s palsy era, that’s all.”
Weedman’s career has long rested on a highly expressive, communicative face—a tool she used to great effect in her decades-long Hollywood career. The Bell’s palsy episode highlighted both the vulnerability and the resilience that have defined her. Born in Terre Haute, Indiana, and raised in Indianapolis after adoption, Weedman’s Midwestern upbringing informs a pragmatic approach to hardship. She has spoken candidly about the balance of personal and professional life, especially for single mothers navigating the intense demands of the industry. The experience with Bell’s palsy shows a professional who refuses to pause unless necessary, choosing instead to lean into the craft and tell her story through adaptation and collaboration with her teams.
As Weedman continues treatment and rehabilitation, she remains focused on completing projects she has already committed to, while eyeing future roles that can accommodate her health journey. The collaboration with Sirens’ team illustrates a broader industry trend: when performers face health challenges, studios and creators increasingly explore flexible production plans and character-driven adjustments that respect actors’ well-being while preserving the storytelling. Weedman’s case underscores how a health challenge can become a catalyst for on-screen storytelling that resonates with audiences, and how a supportive creative community can help artists navigate illness without sacrificing their careers.