It’s been a “difficult” two years for Anna Paquin, who has been dealing with undisclosed health issues that have left her with mobility issues.
On Wednesday, April 3, the actress, 41, walked the red carpet with her husband Stephen Moyer at the Crosby Street Hotel in New York City for their latest film, A Bit of Light, using a cane for assistance.
“It hasn’t been easy,” the New Zealand-raised star tells PEOPLE of needing a cane to walk and experiencing some difficulties with her speech. (A source clarifies that the actress will hopefully make a full recovery.)
Despite the issues, Paquin says she’s been beyond fortunate to get to do what she loves.
“My first love was independent filmmaking,” says Paquin, who won an Oscar at age 11 for her role in The Piano. “That’s how I entered the film industry. I was working with people who were all about telling stories and telling them with integrity and truth.”
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While Paquin is on the road to recovery, she says she’s grateful to have the support of her husband Moyer, 54, who directed her in the indie drama, which is based on a stage play.
“He’s my favorite person to play with,” she says of Moyer, adding that she wouldn’t be working with him if she didn’t think he was an excellent director.
“I’m not sentimental when it comes to work,” she adds with a laugh.
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A Bit of Light stars Paquin as an alcoholic mother who loses custody of her children and has to pick up the pieces of her broken life while reconciling with her past.
She says she didn’t relate to her character Ella’s story as an alcoholic, but as a mom she understood that parenthood can be complex, and that women can often be forgotten as fully formed people once they become mothers.
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“Not everyone ends up having the journey with motherhood that they have hoped or had planned,” Paquin says. “We’re all flawed and imperfect, and Ella is kind of on some level repeating some sort of familial patterns as far as stuffing feelings down.”
She adds, “It’s very relatable because there’s so many ways that people can get in their own way, or sort of learn to cope with trauma,” she says.
A Bit of Light is in theaters Friday, April 5.