Its not easy for Selma Blair to go anywhere in public without getting stopped these days.
Scout is Blairs service dog.
No, Blair explains drily, as he greets another dog: Hes actually my real service dog.
Heather Hazzan. Wardrobe styling by Sean Knight. Makeup by Kara Bua at A-Frame Agency. Hair by Bridget Brager at The Wall Group. Manicure by Ashlie Johnson at The Wall Group. On Selma: Dress and gloves by Versace.
She fixes me with a signature deadpan stare: Like I finally have a cute boyfriend.
Theyve formed a charming, therapeutic bond, one that represents just a small piece of Blairs MS journey.
Her diagnosis proved to be a catalyzing moment in her life.
Dress by Carolina Herrera.
For Blair, the symptoms of the neurological condition have been wide-ranging and long-standing.
She is now in remission, meaning the disease is not progressing.
While she still grapples with certain MS complications, Blair says she has stopped losing abilities.
Blair has always fancied herself a supporting player in Hollywood.
Im definitely more of an independent actress, or the strange oddball, she says.
Im not really a public-pleasure person.
These small things add up.
In my bedroom, on the floor that Im used to, I can dance.
I always say how visibility matters for the disabled, she says.
Dress by Carolina Herrera.
Well, visibility matters for everyone.
You have to show that youre still alive.
By Hollywood standards, Blair was a late bloomer.
Top, briefs, and jeans by Miu Miu.
InLegally BlondeandThe Sweetest Thing,she was similarly cast as the dark-haired supporting foil to uniformly blonde leading ladies.
She was featured onVanity FairsHollywood 2000 cover, but appeared behind the fold.
I always rooted for whoever got it.
This is not to say shes had an easy ride.
Drinking, Blair says, was always self-medication.
It took away pain like no other, until the next day.
Bodysuit by A.W.A.K.E. Mode. Skirt by Elena Velez.
(She now attends a regular private Alcoholics Anonymous meeting.)
Butand I can say this because shes so open about itshe was really sad for a long time.
And when she went through this crucible, she burned through a lot of that.
Dress and gloves by Elena Velez.
Emotionally and spiritually, shes a lot lighter now.
The timing felt like kismet.
She could see how it was starting to affect Arthur.
He would tell his friends, Oh, you’re able to come over to my house.
My moms not going to want to drive me because shes weak, Blair remembers.
When she was driving Arthur to school one day, Farber pulled up alongside her at a red light.
They were both headed to the same coffee shop.
They parted ways, but Farber couldnt shake the idea.
I love to teach, and I love to see my partners grow, he tells SELF.
Dress and gloves by Versace.
I think I actually need this, she remembers telling them.
I think its important for people with chronic illness or disabilities to see what they can do.
I deserve to have a good time and try.
I dont do well on TV, historically, Blair says.
DWTSwas, in her words, the biggest commercial thing Ive done.
Now, I realize what a vehicle it is.
These days, she says, its the main thing people recognize her from.
I felt like I was in college again and you love the class, she says.
You know, like, I never knew I loved printmaking!
It immediately transformed my way of thinking, and it immediately put a pep in my step.
She felt the physical benefits almost instantaneously and adjusted her diet to support the intense training schedule.
She hired a friend to cook nutritious meals for her and Arthur while the show was filming.
It changed my relationship to food and exercise, she says.
I had energy and I slept well.
Blair wore a shimmering purple dress and let Farber spin her in circles, hovering inches over the floor.
She is an incredible, incredible student, Farber adds.
She and Farber performed together four more times, logging solid scores and staying atop the competition.
During her last few weeks on the show, Blairs knee had started giving out.
She couldnt even stand on it.
I was so brokenhearted to have been injured, Blair says.
I really wanted to keep going.
I was really proud of myself that, for at least five weeks, I kept up.
But there was a time that I had to take care of myself.
In November, after weeks of mandated rest, Blair returned toDWTSfora surprise performancewith Farber.
She danced barefoot, and did an aerial cartwheel, lifted high by her partner.
Thats just the fact of it.
But considering what I had just been through, I took time to be proud.
It did give me permission to… she trails off, reconsidering.
Maybe permission isnt the right word.
It did give me some inner knowledge that Im stronger than I thought.
Right after the trip, an MRI revealed that Blair had multiple MS-related lesions on her brain.
She shared her diagnosis publicly that October: I am disabled.
My memory is foggy, shewroteon Instagram.
And my left side is asking for directions from a broken GPS.
Blair found the identification of her illness to be a totally clarifying moment.
I felt so horrible my whole life, she says.
Even as a seven-year-old, I researched why I was so tired.
Years later, she finally had answers, which revitalized her: I figured it out now.
Im among the living.
She had been suffering for a long time and wasnt able to identify the problem, Danes says.
There was some relief and release when she finally understood what was happening.
The sense of tragedy was really mitigated by that.
Were shooting the final days of my life.
Though she had tried several treatments over the years, Blairs flare-ups continued to worsen.
It also required her to be in Chicago, away from Arthur.
She decided it was worth the try, and the HSCT ultimately led to her current remission.
Im so much better, but it haunts my physical cells.
Its there, Blair says.
Some people wake up two years later and theyre like, Im healed!
But I never had that moment.
I just stopped having regression.
Today, after having faced her own mortality, Blair feels like a different version of herself.
The diagnosis, she says, really did rewire me.
It made me more empathetic towards myself.
I get really triggered and he helps me, Blair started to say.
Her speech slowed, and one of the women laughed reflexively, not understanding the cause.
Blair did not pause to address her misjudgment.
I dont have shame in that at all.
I know some people find it curious, but we all have something.
Since sharing her diagnosis, Blair has grown more comfortable in her role as an advocate for accessibility.
Blair and Brown talk regularly, sharing pop culture news over text and trading advice about pain management.
Thats something that I absolutely appreciate.
These relationships, Blair says, have taught me the most about confidence and taking care of myself.
Theyve been the people that have been rolling the roll and walking the walk since they were young.
These are people that have been trying to keep up in a non-disabled world for a long time.
They have a lot of practice.
It takes a lot of energy, she says.
I want to say, Oh, its easy to hire me.
Im not a problem!
But heres my rider of things Ill need, and theyre not just green M&Ms.
Its like, how do we ensure theres a railing on everything?
If theres a railing, I can find a way to lift that leg correctly.
But without it, Im just lost, balance-wise.
Yes, theres a spectrum of peoples abilities, Blair says.
But you are what you are and it requires accommodations.
Lets get used to this.
Lets build this into our base camps.
She relishes being out and active in the world again, trying new food and taking Arthur on adventures.
Sometimes, shell refill a row of strangers parking meters just because.
I think I inflict myself on people a bit, she says with a laugh.
I realize not everyones idea of joy is talking to the woman with the service dog in line somewhere.
But pushing for accessibility, Blair says, is where my heart is right now.
I dont find the advocacy trying, she continues.
I know its for other people more than myself, and it makes me feel better.
I find that her visibility has opened up doors for me, Brown says.
When I mention her, people light up.
Its changing the way people see themselves and each other.
Its not just so the person in the room can get up there, Blair says.
Its like,I can dream this.
Its built in that I can dream this.
There is a way for me to get up there.
Photography: Heather Hazzan.
Creative direction: Amber Venerable.
Wardrobe styling: Sean Knight.
Hair: Bridget Brager at The Wall Group.
Makeup: Kara Bua at A-Frame Agency.
Manicure: Ashlie Johnson at The Wall Group.
Profile editor: Alisa Hrustic.Sensitivity editor: Mark Hay
