Erin Moriarty has revealed that her battle with Graves' disease severely impacted her ability to walk while filming the fifth and final season of The Boys. The actress, who portrays Annie January, also known as Starlight, in the Prime Video series, shared her ordeal on social media after the release of the fourth episode of the final season.
Health Struggles During Production
Posting on Instagram alongside a picture of her bandaged leg, Moriarty wrote: "Okay, so: season 5, episode 4 of The Boys is one of the most important episodes I've ever shot. Unfortunately, that part of the season coincided with my health issues peaking before my diagnosis. I am saving you the gnarly part of this picture but not long after this episode, I started to lose the ability to walk."
She elaborated: "The numbness in my feet led to a lot of falling. The night before we shot my segment of this episode, I fell and shredded up my knee." The actor noted that her injury and worsening symptoms prevented her from fully enjoying the production. "I barely have any behind-the-scenes shots of this season, especially as things worsened," she added.
Diagnosis and Symptoms
Moriarty first disclosed her Graves' disease diagnosis in June last year, describing how it left her nauseous and exhausted. "One thing I can say: if I hadn't chalked it all up to stress and fatigue, I would've caught this sooner," she said at the time, adding that she felt her strength increasing within 24 hours of starting treatment.
Graves' disease is a form of hyperthyroidism caused when the body's immune system produces antibodies that disrupt the thyroid gland, leading to excessive thyroid hormone production. According to the NHS, symptoms can include a fast heart rate or palpitations, tremors, diarrhoea, difficulty sleeping, weight loss, irregular periods, and feelings of heat, hunger, or anxiety. Some patients may also experience neck swelling or bulging eyes, known as Graves' ophthalmopathy.
No Pity Post
Moriarty emphasised that her message was not meant to elicit pity. "This isn't a pity post. It's mostly to say: f*** autoimmune disease. F*** it so hard. F*** the ignorance surrounding it, too. I can't remedy that ignorance but not being outspoken about it occasionally feels wrong," she wrote.
The actress previously took an "extensive if not permanent" break from social media after facing harassment over "reductive assumptions" about her appearance. She shared a tearful picture of herself after wrapping her final scenes last July.
About The Boys
The Boys, which premiered in 2019, explores a world where superheroes are revered as celebrities and politicians but often abuse their powers. The series stars Karl Urban as Billy Butcher, Jack Quaid as Hughie Campbell, and Antony Starr as Homelander, alongside Jessie T Usher, Laz Alonso, Chace Crawford, Tomer Capone, and Karen Fukuhara.
