Selma Blair's Explanation for Her Blindfold on 'Dancing With the Stars' Is Surprising
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It's safe to say that the new season of Dancing With The Stars has already been one for the books — especially with stars like Selma Blair heating up the stage each night. This week, the 50-year-old Cruel Intentions and Legally Blonde actress surprised audiences by dancing blindfolded (yes, blindfolded!) for an emotional performance of Sheena Easton's "For Your Eyes Only" — but it turns out there was a more intentional reason for her unconventional approach.
Donning the blindfold, as Selma revealed during the episode, apparently helped the actress perform better, addressing certain challenges that span from her multiple sclerosis (MS) diagnosis. The chronic autoimmune disease of the brain and spinal cord can cause permanent damage or deterioration of the nerves — and Selma has been outspoken about her treatment since first being diagnosed in October 2018.
“[The blindfold] was a way to not have too much sensory overload in my head, because it’s exciting and there’s so much going on and people moving, so it was a way to buffer it," Selma told People, adding that learning how to dance blindfolded was a "challenge that was kind of comforting" to her.
According to the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, MS symptoms can vary highly from person to person, but often include fatigue, walking difficulties, vision issues and consistent dizziness — as well as various sensory symptoms, namely numbness or tingling, weakness, pain, stiffness and muscle spasms. There is no cure currently for MS, but treatment centers focus on helping individuals manage symptoms, as well as slow the progression of the disease through medication and physical therapy.
Since declaring her diagnosis in 2018, Selma has been candid about the ups and downs of her health journey in many interviews and on social media. She's previously shared that she's faced symptoms such as muscle weakness, difficulty walking, anxiety, some cognitive impairment as well as difficulty with her vision, specifically.
Selma also revealed to 'Entertainment Tonight' that she suffered a fainting spell before a rehearsal for Dancing With The Stars, adding that she "passes out a lot" and has a service dog, Scout, who protects her during these fainting spells.
Despite this, the actress continues to stay competitive in the show — and even pushed herself further by choosing to perform this week's dance blindfolded. She credited the idea to her dance partner, Sasha Farber, who suggested it after noticing that Selma would "close her eyes a lot when she would feel a disconnection from her brain into her body."
"Learning steps for Selma is challenging in the sense that I can see her body try to do it. And I know that she can do it, but the message stops," Sasha told Entertainment Weekly. "And it doesn't allow it to happen, and she closes her eyes. I found that she would always be comfortable in that situation. I wanted to see how this would help the performance, and I remember putting it on her — and she had goosebumps."
In a separate interview, Selma revealed she routinely will complete simple tasks at home while closing her eyes, adding that it helps smooth her intake of the world around her. She told Extra that it's also helping her feel more centered as she finds herself performing on the stage for Dancing with the Stars: "The blindfold was really to cut out a lot of extrasensory noise that really brings about a lot of kind of MS-like pseudo flare symptoms, something that never happened when I was acting, but now it’s much easier for me to shut my eyes so I can have clear speech or concentrate on things," she said.
It turns out there was more than one reason why Selma chose to blindfold herself — the Legally Blonde star shared that the symbolism of the act was a tribute to her late mother, Molly Ann.
"It's grounding to feel anything other than nerves," she shared with Entertainment Weekly. "I'm in a space where I know mom's with me, which she always is, even though I can't see her. So, the blindfold was a double meaning to me."
Overall, Selma told People that learning to dance blindfolded felt like a "wonderful, forced, spiritual, emotional boot camp" that helped "rewire" and "strengthen" her. The approach has added more of a challenge after her first two performances in the Dancing With The Stars season, which has fans abuzz on social media.
The actress has also previously discussed about how the opportunity means a lot to her as an advocate for people with disabilities.
“I hoped that by doing this show, I could show people with disabilities the joy that can be found in ways you never expected,” she said in an interview from the September 19 episode. “The gratitude I feel, if I could ever help someone try something new, especially someone that’s chronically ill and has differences. [That’s what] tonight and the past few weeks have been all about.”
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