Emma Caulfield is not letting her diagnosis define her.
The actress, best known for playing Dottie, the neighbor of Wanda Maximoff (Elizabeth Olsen) on WandaVision, and Anya Jenkins on five seasons of Buffy the Vampire Slayer from 1998 to 2003, revealed she was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 2010.
"I woke up one morning and the left side of my face felt like there were a million ants crawling on it," Caulfield told Vanity Fair Oct. 4. "That feeling when you've sat in a position too long?"
Caulfield revealed that an acupuncturist suggested she get an MRI to check on things, so she did. The results came swiftly.
"I had a missed call from the doctor's office, so I called back. I'm just like, 'What's up?' I had five minutes down or whatever," she said. "And he was like, 'You have MS.' Just like that. It was like an out-of-body experience. I'm like, 'No, that's not possible.' I'm like, 'What are you talking about?' He was very matter of fact about it."
While Caulfield has continued working since her diagnosis, the working conditions on WandaVision made things extra difficult.
"The heat was unbearable," she said. "And I was feeling every inch of that. I got really weak. I just went into survival mode and I remember having to be outside….It was just unfortunate timing, really. But I was very, very uncomfortable and no one knew. I said nothing. And I paid the price for that."
Caulfield eventually told WandaVision showrunner Jac Schaeffer about the MS, who she is reuniting with on the upcoming WandaVision spinoff Agatha: Coven of Chaos, starring Kathryn Hahn.
"I am going back to work!" Caulfield exclaimed. "Everyone has been notified that needs to be notified. I can't put myself through what I did with WandaVision again. I can't do that. They did nothing wrong….They had no idea what was going on with me. They didn't ask anything of me that was like, 'I need to call my agent!' They're asking me to just sit and chat and do my dialogue. It's not hard."
While details on the spinoff remain scarce, Hahn did address rumors that the series will welcome storied Marvel villain Mephisto into the fold.
"I keep hearing that. I have no idea!" she said on The Drew Barrymore Show in November. "Who knows. Probably anything is probably possible, but I have never heard anything definitive about that at all."
Whatever happens, we're thrilled Caulfield will be along for the ride.
Agatha: Agent of Chaos is expected to premiere sometime in 2023 on Disney+.