Highlights
- Anna Gunn revealed that her weight gain during the last season of Breaking Bad was due to an illness.
- Gunn faced criticism and scrutiny over her appearance, which she found to be brutal and disturbing, considering the success of her career and talent.
- Despite her illness, Gunn has continued to excel in her acting career, starring in numerous productions and receiving praise for her performances.
Gaining or losing weight without planning to is always a tough pill to swallow, especially when you're someone who is constantly in the public eye. Unfortunately for Breaking Bad cast alum, Anna Gunn however, it became something she needed to contend with - and while on the world's screen, no less.
Despite wrapping a decade ago, Breaking Bad has continued to be a fan favorite over the years. As such, ever since its finale, viewers have been wanting to know what the stars have been up to since the show ended. And, problematically, questions surrounding Anna's change of physique in the last season have been pervasive - especially because she lost a lot of weight once filming had wrapped.
Sadly, the reason behind the gain was linked to a health issue, and she's been pretty vocal about how uncomfortable it was, being asked about it at the time. So, what do we know?
Updated in September, 2023: While Anna Gunn opened up about the cause of her weight gain in 2013, in more recent years, she's revealed that being asked about it was incredibly uncomfortable. Even so, she hasn't ever allowed the illness behind it - or the cruel comments she faced while in treatment - get the better of her. At the time of writing, her latest TV project, Sugar is in post-production.
Anna Gunn Was Diagnosed With Systemic Lupus Erythematosus
While Anna Gunn was certainly never under any obligation to open up about her body with anyone, let alone the media, in an interview with People at the 2013 Governor's Ball, post-65th Emmy Awards, she opted to address it.
"I was actually ill while I was filming the show and it affected my weight ... they gave me cortisone and I puffed up and gained weight. Now I’m better, thank God," she told the outlet.
The actress didn't reveal what she'd been ill with, at the time. However, a few months later, a source close to her gave some more insight to Hollywood Life.
"Anna Gunn has lupus, but it’s not widely known. This is why she looked heavier in Breaking Bad, the steroid injections cause swelling and weight gain. It’s been a challenge for her, but she takes good care of herself as best she can," the source shared.
For those unfamiliar with lupus - also known as SLE or Systemic Lupus Erythematosus - it's an autoimmune disease where one's body's immune system attacks its own tissue and organs. Inflammation caused by lupus can affect many different body systems including one's joints, skin, blood cells, heart, kidneys, brain and lungs.
Understandably, given what was really behind her weight gain, Gunn wasn't thrilled that it was even up for debate. Making matters worse, in an interview with The Guardian, she explained that her weight was just one of many things she was criticized for, during her time on the show as Walter White's antagonist.
"It went from disliking the character, then hating the character, to then hating me. It became about not liking the way I look: I’m either too thin; I’ve gained too much weight; I’m too tall; they don’t like my face; they don’t like my voice. To be picked apart in that way is brutal," she shared.
In the same interview, the actress pointed out that it was problematic that she'd been questioned over her appearance, in the first place.
Speaking about the fact that she'd even been asked about it, right after winning an Emmy, she explained, "I reached a career high, and all the questions were not about what I put into the world, but more about how I looked ... That was disturbing. I didn't even want to really comment on it, because why should you? Why should I have to explain myself? But I got tired of being asked about it," she explained.
Gunn Is One Of Many Stars With The Disease
While Anna Gunn undoubtedly faced unkind criticism during the final season of Breaking Bad, these days, there's much more awareness about lupus and the way it affects people. That's largely due to the fact that a number of stars have opened up about their own experience with the disease.
Toni Braxton is one famous example. Since being diagnosed in 2008, the singer has been incredibly open about the illness. In fact, speaking to the Lupus Foundation of America, she revealed that she'd been in and out of hospital, "More times than I care to admit." She also shared that in 2022, she'd needed to undergo life-saving surgery when the illness affected her heart.
Selena Gomez has also been vocal about her journey with lupus. First diagnosed in 2014, she famously received a kidney from her best friend in 2017. And, like Anna Gunn, she's also struggled with her weight as a result of the medication she's been put on. In one TikTok video in early 2023, Selena shared that she empathized with anyone else who may be dealing with fluctuations - or anything, for that matter - as a result of something no one else was aware of.
Gunn Continues To Excel In Her Acting Career Regardless Of Her Illness
Diagnosis aside, Anna Gunn has refused to allow her condition to define her abilities when it came to starring in other projects after her Breaking Bad days. As a matter of fact, she's gone on to feature in no less than 17 productions since the show wrapped.
After the end of Breaking Bad, Gunn landed the main role in Gracepoint in 2014 and Shades of Blue in 2017. She also starred in Deadwood: The Movie, and Sully. Outside of screen work, Gunn also took to the stage, starring in the David Schwimmer-directed production of Sex with Strangers.
Anna Gunn has had a hugely successful career, and a number of the things that she has appeared in have received a lot of praise, both from critics and from canny viewers. And, it's safe to say, she has no intention of slowing down, any time soon. At the time of writing, her upcoming TV show, Sugar is in post-production. We're wishing her everything of the best (and no more nasty comments!) going forward.