Anna Paquin causes concern after making rare public appearance with cane

‘It hasn’t been easy,’ the ‘True Blood’ star said of illness

Anna Paquin has caused concern among her fans after making a red carpet appearance with mobility issues.

The Oscar-winning star, 41, used a cane while attending the premiere of her new film, A Bit of Light, on Wednesday (3 April), alongside her husband and former True Blood co-star Stephen Moyer.

It was the first public appearance for Paquin since the film received its festival premiere in October 2022.

The Canadian and New Zealand star, who won Best Supporting Actress as an 11-year-old for Jane Campion’s 1993 film The Piano, briefly addressed the undisclosed illness while speaking to press.

“It hasn’t been easy,” she told People, with the outlet stating she also had what appeared to be difficulties with her speech. However, a source said Paquin is expecting to make a full recovery.

The star was at the premiere with Moyer, who directed the film. Speaking about working with her husband, who played Bill Compton opposite her Sookie Stackhouse in Alan Ball’s HBO series True Blood, Paquin said: “He’s my favourite person to play with.”

The couple celebrated their 13th wedding anniversary in August 2023, with Moyer, 54, writing at the time: “The good lady thespian/producer/all round badass ‘er indoors, and myself have been married 13 years. And to those who didn’t remember, don’t worry we almost forgot too.”

Anna Paquin walks with a cane at premiere of new film (Getty Images)

Paquin also recalled the start of her career, telling the outlet: “My first love was independent filmmaking. 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.”

In A Bit of Light , which was written by playwright Rebecca Callard, Paquin plays a mother who loses custody of her children and has to pick up the pieces of her broken life while trying to remain sober. The film co-stars Ray Winstone, Pippa Bennett-Warner, and Youssef Kerkour.

A Bit of Light is released in the US on 5 April, but there is currently no UK release date.

In 2021, Paquin, who is bisexual, hit out at the “bi-erasure” she experiences due to being married to a man, telling SiriusXM’s The Jess Cagle Podcast: “It just felt weird being assumed to be straight because I was married to a man.

“If I had fallen in love with a woman and lived happily ever after, I would still be bisexual.”

Anna Paquin and Stephen Moyer at premiere of ‘A Bit of Light’ (Getty Images)

Paquin's other credits include Margaret, the X-Men films, in which she played Rogue, and Martin Scorsese's The Irishman.

When The Irishman was released in 2019, it was highlighted that Paquin, despite playing a crucial role, said just seven words in the three-and-a-half-hour film. Lead star Robert De Niro, who played her on-screen father in the film, defended the decision, insisting her role is “powerful” as it is.