Lauren Weedman's Brave Battle with Bell's Palsy While Filming Netflix Hit Sirens

Published: May 28, 2025

Lauren Weedman, the talented actress who plays Patrice, the stressed-out personal chef on the Netflix hit drama Sirens, revealed her courageous battle with Bell's palsy while filming the show. The 56-year-old actress shared how her facial paralysis was incorporated into her role, and how the show's creators supported her throughout the ordeal.

Weedman, who is also a mom to 15-year-old son Leo, explained that she was embarrassed about her condition, but "waiting for it to get better just was not an option." She spoke to Sirens showrunner and creator Molly Smith Metzler, and Quyen Tran, director of the upcoming episodes, about her condition, and they folded her health crisis into her character.

Metzler told the outlet, "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 want to conceive of the show without her in it."

Weedman was touched by the showrunner's kind words, saying, "It was really hard for me to think that I mattered." As she explained, she was raised to not "make a big thing out of being hurt or sick."

The actress's bravery was rewarded when the show wrote her Bell's palsy into the script, leading to Patrice's memorable line: "Every summer, this happens; the stress of this job, my Bell's palsy is back."

Weedman's son Leo quipped about her condition, saying, "Mom, it's no big deal. This is your Bell's palsy era, that's all."

Abbot Elementary creator Quinta Brunson praised Weedman's professionalism, saying, "The way I look at it, that is what normalizes any form of otherness... Her dealing with it falls in line with who [Lauren] is. She just rolls with the punches and does her job."

Weedman's story is an inspiration to many, showing that even in the face of adversity, we can overcome and thrive.

Read more about Lauren Weedman's brave battle with Operation Mincemeat and how she's not letting Bell's palsy hold her back.

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