Wearing a sparkling black dress with matching ankle boots, Anna Paquin walked the red carpet on April 3 in New York for her latest film, A Bit of Light, directed by her husband, Stephen Moyer.
The black walking cane she carried that co-ordinated with her outfit raised the alarm among her fans.
“It hasn’t been easy,” Paquin, 41, told People magazine, revealing she has been living with undisclosed health issues that have affected her mobility and speech for two “difficult” years.
A source told the outlet that the Kiwi actress would hopefully make a full recovery, and following an outpouring of well-wishes and concern, Paquin released a statement.
“I am extraordinarily touched and moved by people showing that they care and being interested and kind about it,” she told Entertainment Tonight.
“At some point, I will probably elaborate on my own platform in my own words. I’m just really grateful for the support.”
No-one has been more supportive than her husband and frequent collaborator, Moyer.
The pair began dating a few months after meeting on the set of the supernatural series True Blood, which aired from 2008 to 2014, and even back then, they kept their private lives out of the spotlight for almost a year.
“We didn’t want to take anything away from the show. The show is the star, not the two people having a relationship,” Moyer told TV Guide in 2009, adding, “It’s just exciting and that was there from day one. We always take the p–s out of each other and are silly with each other and it is great.”
Moyer, 54, proposed to Paquin, 41, in Hawaii in 2009, and the couple tied the knot the following year before welcoming twins, daughter Poppy and son Charlie, in 2012.
Having lived in the spotlight since scoring an Oscar at age 11 for her role in Jane Campion’s The Piano, Paquin has found fame tricky.
“I’ve always been very private. I’m not as neurotic about it as I was when I was younger. I don’t want people to know too much about my real, inner private life,” she told Today Parents in 2018.
“That’s part of having been a teenager and feeling constantly, brutally self-conscious and not wanting anyone to stare at me, but having a job where that was part of it.”
Still, Paquin, a darling of indie films and theatre who also found box-office success in four X-Men movies, has been open about issues that matter to her, including coming out as bisexual during an online public service announcement for the Give a Damn campaign in 2010.
“There’s people that are going to probably go to their grave thinking whatever they think about the LGBT community,” she told HuffPost Live about her decision to disclose something so personal in 2014. “That’s their problem, not mine.”
Sharing professional passion with her husband, who has also directed her in the TV series Flack, has helped Paquin find peace.
“We like what we do,” she told People at the A Bit of Light premiere. “We met doing the thing that we like, so interspersing our work lives wasn’t ever going to be a weird thing … He knew exactly who I was for better or worse.”
And watching Moyer work seems to keep the spark alive in the marriage. “He’s my favourite person to play with,” she revealed, before telling him directly.
“You think in images and storytelling and camera angles, and you know the inside and out of every single aspect of making a film or TV show. That’s really hot. I find talent sexy.”
It seems now more than ever though, having Moyer in her corner during these difficult times has meant the world to her.
“He’s got my back,” Paquin told the US Today show on April 5. “And I’ve got his.”
Related stories
Native ad body.
Native ad body.
Native ad body.
