Erin Moriarty, who plays Starlight (Annie January) on The Boys, was diagnosed with Graves' disease last June. This was six months into filming the final season of the hit Amazon Prime show.
“It did lead to me not being as present for Annie during this final season as I would've hoped, and that was super painful for me. I thought, 'Oh my God, I'm failing Annie and I'm failing our audience,’” she told The Hollywood Reporter. "I wish I could have used it to enhance or to relate to her weariness, but to be honest, I was on set every day just really, really, really struggling to get through it all.”
She went on to say, "I wasn't able to transcend the physical and mental toll that this disease took on me until episode seven. It's a testament to how profoundly impactful these autoimmune diseases can be, and I don't think that people are aware to the degree that they can be. So I wish I was able to say it served the character, but unfortunately, it was a matter of getting through every day. The psychological toll that it took on me, I'll be able to use it in the future, but I couldn't while it was going on simultaneously. Sadly not."
Although she has seen every other season of her hit series, which started in 2019, she admitted that she won’t be tuning in for the final episodes. "I love this show so much," she said. "But I'm not watching the final season simply because it's really important for me at this moment in time to put my psychological health above all other things."
In the Instagram post where she initially announced her diagnosis, she encouraged others to get themselves checked out. “If I hadn’t chalked it all up to stress and fatigue, I would’ve caught this sooner,” she said. “A month ago, I was diagnosed with Graves’ disease. Within 24 hours of beginning treatment, I felt the light coming back on. It’s been increasing in strength ever since. If yours is dimming, even slightly, go get checked. Don’t ‘suck it up’ and transcend suffering; you deserve to be comfy. Shit’s hard enough as is.”
