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• The Apollo 13 actor received surgery to replace an aortic heart valve and correct an aortic aneurysm

• His family later filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the hospital and doctor who performed the surgery

Bill Paxtonwas a beloved actor who unexpectedly died after a planned heart surgery.

TheTwisteractordied on Feb. 25, 2017, at 61 years old. Just a few weeks before his death, Paxton explained that he had a damaged aortic heart valve as a result of suffering from rheumatic fever when he was a child.

On Feb. 14, 2017, Paxton underwent planned heart surgery with the intention of replacing a heart valve and correcting an aortic aneurysm. However, complications surfaced as a result of the surgery, and hedied after a strokeless than two weeks after the procedure.

Shortly after Paxton's death, his familyfiled a wrongful death lawsuitagainst surgeon Dr. Ali Khoynezhad and the Cedars-Sinai Medical Center for allegedly giving the late actor a "negligent diagnosis, management, and treatment." The hospitalsettled the lawsuitin 2022.

Here's everything to know about Bill Paxton's death nearly a decade after he died.

What was Paxton's childhood illness?

When Paxton was a child, he suffered a bout of rheumatic fever — an inflammatory disease that occurs after an infection from strep throat or scarlet fever isn't treated, per theMayo Clinic. The illness can "cause long-lasting heart damage, including heart valve problems and heart failure."

Paxton explained in a February 2017 interview on theWTFpodcastthat he recalled having a "bad sore throat" that got worse when he was in middle school.

"I spent a good part of 7th grade in bed," Paxton said. "I'd had a sore throat at Christmas. It had kind of gotten into my wrist, but it usually damages your heart valves."

Paxton further confirmed that it had caused damage to his heart valves. At the time of the interview, he credited this isolation period for inspiring him to get into acting.

Why did Paxton need heart surgery?

On Feb. 14, 2017, Paxton underwent a planned heart surgery to replace a heart valve and correct an aortic aneurysm when complications arose. He had the open-heart procedure at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in L.A.

The aortic valve is the most commonly replaced valve, according to theAmerican Heart Association. While the surgery can be lifesaving, it also comes with risks — including damage to the blood vessels, blood clots that cause strokes and infection, among others, perStanford Medicine.

Meanwhile, an aortic aneurysm is a "weakened or bulging area on the wall of the aorta that may occur anywhere along its length," per theorganization. The most common ways to treat an aortic aneurysm is surgery to repair or replaced the damaged area or medications aimed at reducing pressure and stress on the aortic wall.

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How did Paxton die?

Less than two weeks after Paxton had open-heart surgery, he suffered a stroke and died on Feb. 25, 2017. He was 61 years old.

"It is with heavy hearts we share the news that Bill Paxton has passed away due to complications from surgery," his family said in a statement at the time. "A loving husband and father, Bill began his career in Hollywood working on films in the art department and went on to have an illustrious career spanning four decades as a beloved and prolific actor and filmmaker."

The statement continued, "Bill's passion for the arts was felt by all who knew him, and his warmth and tireless energy were undeniable. We ask to please respect the family's wish for privacy as they mourn the loss of their adored husband and father."

How did his family react to his death?

The year after Paxton's death, his family — including wife Louise Paxton andkids James and Lydia— filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the Cedars-Sinai Medical Center and Dr. Khoynezhad, who operated on Paxton.

In the lawsuit, his family accused the doctor and hospital of providing Paxton with "negligent diagnosis, management, and treatment" which contributed to the complications that caused his death.

The family alleged that Cedars-Sinai "misrepresented and/or concealed information relating to the risks of surgery and care that would be provided and/or failed to adequately explain the proposed treatment or procedure."

His family further claimed that the hospital "failed to disclose that [Dr. Khoynezhad] was going to use a high risk and unconventional surgical approach with which he lacked experience and which was, based upon information and belief, beyond the scope of his privileges."

In specific claims made about Dr. Khoynezhad, they alleged that he was "not in the hospital" when Paxton "began suffering the complications" and failed to arrange for "continuous care and coverage" for the actor when he was absent. Those factors allegedly caused "a delay in treatment resulting in damage."

"Bill Paxton and his family trusted the physicians and staff at this medical facility but instead Cedars-Sinai betrayed their trust," the family's attorney Bruce Broillet claimed in a statement at the time. "The surgeon's actions resulted in this tragic and preventable death."

In February 2022, Paxton's familyreached a partial settlementwith General Anesthesia Specialists Partnership for $1 million due to the agency's involvement in his surgery. The organization denied playing a direct role in the actor's death but agreed to settle to "reasonably compensate plaintiffs and avoid exposing the defendant to an expensive and time-consuming litigation."

Six months later, PEOPLE obtained documents that showed Paxton's family had settled the lawsuit with the hospital and surgeon. The terms of the settlement were confidential, and it took place one month before they were set to go to trial.

Read the original article onPeople

Twenty-five years after the original "Scrubs" began on NBC, reunited doctors John "JD" Dorian(Braff)and Christopher Turk(Faison)nostalgically embark on their signature piggyback ride during the two-episode premiere (8 ET/PT Wednesday, Feb. 25, streaming next day on Hulu)."Eagle!" even flies in the trailer.

Naturally, the TV hilarity resulted in a real injury − just not to Braff or Faison, the show's stars and executive producers. The stunt performer standing in for Faison wiped out.

"There was a complication," Faison, 51, says during a joint USA TODAY interview. "He busted his face on the ground."

New 'Scrubs' trailer:See Zach Braff, Donald Faison flying

"That's not really a fake stunt," says Braff, 50, who directed the pilot. "That guy really took a pancake to the ground and hit his head. And he was like, 'I'm ready to go again.' And we're like, 'Dude, you're bleeding. You need stitches. That's it. We got it.' "

But let's give a "Hell, yeah!" for the gung-ho comedy effort. Because if you're going to bring "Scrubs" back, you have to leave real blood on the fake hospital floor.

The aughts-favorite medical comedy created by Bill Lawrence ruled NBC for seven wacky seasons (2001 to 2008), winning a prestigious Peabody Award and earning 17 Emmy Award nominations. The series fizzled on ABC after one season and was canceled in 2010. But viewers stayed loyal and loving, attached to Braff and Faison, the real-life besties at the comedy's center. The stars hosted their pandemic podcast"Fake Doctors, Real Friends"and starred in surprisingly entertainingT-Mobilecommercials.

After years of being asked about when "Scrubs" would be returning, Braff and Faison are finally riding the revival, 16 years after the show's original cancellation. "Scrubs" somehow features the impossibly busy Lawrence as executive producer alongside the comedy maestro of the moment's other hits "Ted Lasso" and "Shrinking."

"Bill is definitely overseeing," says Braff of Lawrence's role. "He is the mentor to everyone involved. Bill is doing so many other shows, but he still weighs in."

Lawrence's first mandate was to keep the heart in the show and the zaniness in check.

"When we finished the show before, we were kind of off the rails," Faison says. "We had a show where Zach was hiding in a backpack."

"The show got pretty crazy," says Braff. "So we all said, let's reground and put it back in reality."

The old 'Scrubs' set was a real medical center

The decommissioned North Hollywood Medical Center served as the original set of "Scrubs," which was sometimes too realistic.

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"People used to wander into the hospital, and we'd have to tell them, 'This isn't an actual hospital.' It was crazy," says Faison. "It was especially hard to explain since so many people were walking around in scrubs."

The medical center has been converted to condos, so the new series had to start from scratch. Production designers had to painstakingly recreate "a full-scale replica" of Sacred Heart Hospital "inch by inch," says Braff.

After a formative decade on the previous set, the look-alike took some getting used to.

"Doors that used to lead to rooms now open onto a soundstage, the elevators don't work," Faison says. "Your brain remembers one thing, but reality says something else."

Who returns for the 'Scrubs' revival?

The series reunites Sacred Heart favorites, including Sarah Chalke as Elliot Reid − whose marriage to JD didn't last to the revival. Judy Reyes returns as Carla Espinosa, whose marriage to Turk has endured.

John C. McGinley reappears as the relentlessly intimidating Perry Cox, and then disappears. "Spoiler alert, because you're USA TODAY, Dr. Cox does indeed return," says Braff. Beloved minor characters, like the unhinged orthopedic surgeon Hooch (Phill Lewis), resurface.

But the fresh, young cast is key, including new medical interns likeDashana Trainor(Amanda Morrow) and influencer doctor-wannabeSam Tosh(Ava Bunn).

"The crazy thing about Ava and Amanda is that they were born in 2000," says Braff. "So that means when 'Scrubs' first came out, they were in utero. They weren't even born yet."

"And they have their own language," says "Clueless" star Faison. "It's like when 'Clueless' came out in 1995 and everyone was like, 'What are they saying?' And now I'm like, 'What aretheysaying?' "

It's hard to say goodbye, but fans of these TV shows will have to do just that in 2026. From fantasy epics like Starz's "Outlander" (starring Sam Heughan, left, and Caitriona Balfe, pictured) to talk shows like "The Kelly Clarkson Show" and "Late Night With Stephen Colbert," these 20 shows are ending this year.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Jeff Daniels, left, and Stephen Colbert on CBS's "The Late Show With Stephen Colbert." The show is set to end in May 2026.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Homelander (Antony Starr, left) and Ryan (Cameron Crovetti) in "The Boys." The Prime Video comic book adaptation will conclude with the fifth and final season.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Jeremy Renner, left, as Mike McLusky and Edie Falco as Nina Hobbs in "Mayor of Kingstown." The show will end with its fifth season.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> CBS's "The Neighborhood" will end at Season 8.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Football drama "All American" will end on the CW after eight seasons.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Robson Green, left, as Geordie Keating and Tom Brittney as Will Davenport in "Grantchester." The PBS mainstay will end after 11 seasons.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> David Tennant (as Crowley) and Michael Sheen (Aziraphale) in "Good Omens." The Prime Video series will return for a 90-minute concluding film in 2026.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Netflix's fantasy juggernaut "The Witcher" will have one final season in 2026.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Andie MacDowell in "The Way Home" on Hallmark, which has a fourth and final season in 2026.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Netflix teen drama "Outer Banks" will end after a fifth season this year.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Wanda Sykes speaks to Sherri Shepherd on "Sherri." It's another talk show taking a final bow in 2026.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Showtime's long-running drama "The Chi" will have one last hurrah in Season 8 this year.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Netflix's celebrated "Queer Eye" has its 10th and final season of makeovers in 2026.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> After a dramatic third season, Hulu's twisty "Tell Me Lies" announced its ending.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Wanda Sykes' Netflix sitcom "The Upshaws" is ending after a Part 7 on the streaming service.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Kiawentiio as Katara, Gordon Cormier as Aang and Ian Ousley as Sokka in "Avatar: The Last Airbender." The adaptation of the Nickelodeon animated series will end after its 2026 third season.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> The teens of "Yellowjackets" will say goodbye to the Wilderness after 2026's fourth season.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Tommy and Tariq reunite in the series finale of "Power Book IV: Force." Starz's spinoff of "Power" is set to end with its third season.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" />

Say it isn't so! These TV shows are ending in 2026

It's hard to say goodbye, but fans of these TV shows will have to do just that in 2026. From fantasy epics like Starz's "Outlander" (starring Sam Heughan, left, andCaitriona Balfe, pictured) to talk shows like "The Kelly Clarkson Show" and "Late Night With Stephen Colbert," these 20 shows are ending this year.

The older duo, now serving in positions of authority at Sacred Heart, still pulls comedy from their real lives. Braff is famously single, while Faison has been married to CaCee Cobb since 2012 and has two kids. The stars' family dynamics and personal chemistry are still what viewers see on TV.

"Bill Lawrence started seeing our friendship develop and the way that we were with each other, and started writing to that. We continue to do that," says Braff. "Now I'm still a 50-year-old bachelor, and Donald's married with kids. I still FaceTime Donald five times a day and if I'm lucky, he'll answer once."

Perhaps the only thing that is not realistic about "Scrubs" is that Faison could totally handle "Eagle!" − unlike his character Turk, who topples under JD's weight, complaining of back issues.

"Donald is telling any reporter who will listen that even though Turk can't handle 'Eagle!' Donald Faison still can," says Braff.

"My back isn't that bad. It's starting to shift, I am 51," says Faison. "But I can handle it. I can certainly handle Zach as an 'Eagle!' partner."

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:'Scrubs' revival 'Eagle!' stunt goes wrong

• Ashley published an essay in The Cut called "Breaking Up With My Toxic Mom Group," which many people think was about Hilary.

• Hilary says "the timing felt not great and I felt used."

Everyone will remember the fated day that Ashley Tisdale published her essay inThe Cuttitled "Breaking Up With My Toxic Mom Group." The "piece," if you will, set off a discourse across the internet, and had readers speculating that the mom group in question included none other than Hilary Duff. Who is speaking out about the debacle on Call Her Daddy.

"I felt really sad. I honestly felt really sad. I was pretty, pretty taken aback and felt just sad," she said, viaUs Weekly. "I have so many groups of friends. I'm so lucky."

"I have my core group of friends who have been my ride or dies for 20 years … and I have tons of different groups of mom friends because I have four kids," she added, going on to say "It sucks to read something that's not true, and it sucks on behalf of six women and all of their lives."

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Hilary also responded to her husband, Matthew Koma, poking fun at Ashley's essay with the satirical headline "When You're the Most Self Obsessed Tone Deaf Person on Earth, Other Moms Tend to Shift Focus to Their Actual Toddlers."

"Honestly, everything he does makes me laugh. So, I was like, 'Oh my god. Oh my god.' But I also don't censor him and I don't tell him what he can and can't post," she said. "He is so fierce for me and I love him for that."

She concluded her musings on the drama with "I think it came at, like, the craziest time. The timing felt not great and I felt used."

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Budapest has recentlyaccused Kyivof deliberately holding back Russian oil deliveries through the Druzhba pipeline, which crosses Ukraine's territory. Ukrainian officials have denied the allegations, saying the pipeline, which feeds refineries in Hungary and Slovakia, was hit in a Russian drone attack.

'An oil blockade'

In a video posted to social media, Orbán, who maintains the closest relationship with the Kremlin of any European Union leader, said the Ukrainian government was using "an oil blockade" to exert pressure on Hungary and that Hungarian national security services showed Ukraine was "preparing further actions to disrupt the operation of Hungary's energy system." He didn't provide details or evidence for his claims.

"We will deploy soldiers and the necessary equipment to repel attacks near key energy facilities," Orbán said. "The police will patrol with increased forces around designated power plants, distribution stations and control centers."

Nearly every country in Europe has significantly reduced or entirely ceased Russian energy imports since Moscow launched itswar in Ukraineon Feb. 24, 2022. Yet Hungary and Slovakia, both EU and NATO members, have maintained and even increased supplies of Russian oil and gas, and received a temporary exemption from an EU policyprohibiting imports of Russian oil.

On Sunday, Hungary threatened to block a major, 90-billion euro ($106 billion) EU loan for Kyiv, andvetoed a new round of EU sanctionsagainst Russia on Monday. Orbán has vowed to block any other EU measures to assist Ukraine until oil shipments resume.

Druzhba has been out of commission since Jan. 27. Repairs are hazardous and the pipeline can only operate reliably if Russia stops targeting energy infrastructure, according to Ukrainian officials.

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Orbán also ordered Wednesday a ban on drone operations in Szabolcs-Szatmár-Bereg County, which borders Ukraine.

A crucial election

Orban has repeatedly accused Ukraine of "blackmail" to force him to give up his anti-Ukrainian positions, and of seeking to drive up energy prices in Hungary just weeks before a pivotal election.

Orbán, who retook office in 2010,faces the strongest challengeto his power in an election set for April 12. The EU's longest-serving leader and his right-wing Fidesz party are trailing in most independent polls to an upstart center-right challenger,Péter Magyar.

Meanwhile, Orbán has launched anaggressive anti-Ukraine media campaignportraying the embattled country as an existential threat to Hungary.

His party has pushed the message that if it loses the election, the Tisza party will drag the country into the war in Ukraine, bankrupting Hungary and getting its youth killed on the front lines.

Associated Press writer Samya Kullab in Kyiv, Ukraine contributed to this report.

Haiti Daily Life

It was unusually quiet in Carrefour Aéroport, a famed intersection in Haiti's capital that once bustled with traffic and commerce until hundreds of gang members stormed the area in early March 2024 in anunprecedented wave of violence.

They smashed businesses, killed civilians and set fire to a police substation as officers fled.

For nearly two years after the attack, gangs drained the life out of Carrefour Aéroport.

Then in December, Haitian police officers launched a sustained attack against powerful gangs to drive them out of the area with the help of a private security firm andKenyan police officers leading a U.N.-backed missionthat is winding down.

The retaking of Carrefour Aéroport is "probably one of the very first tangible messages sent by the authorities that, 'yes, we can take back the territory of ... no man's land,'" said Romain Le Cour, head of the Haiti Observatory at the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime.

It's a hint of what could happen elsewhere in Port-au-Prince after a powerfulgang federation known as Viv Ansanmbegan raiding neighborhoods and targeting key government infrastructure in February 2024 in a series of attacks that forced the closure of the country's main international airport and eventually led to theresignation of former Prime Minister Ariel Henry.

"It is a sign of hope," Le Cour said. "It sends the message that this is doable."

A glimmer of life

On Feb. 7, Haitian authorities reopened a renovated police substation in Carrefour Aéroport to much fanfare in a capital that is90% controlled by gangs.

Curious onlookers watched and one of them clapped as heavily guarded police officers entered their restored building nearly two years after gangs had torched it.

"Life is timidly returning to normal," Jacques Ader, a police commissioner, told reporters.

Since the reopening, street vendors and the drivers of colorful buses, known as tap taps, have reinserted themselves in the area.

"Small businesses are recovering," said Jean-Remy Laveau, a 35-year-old motorcycle taxi driver who used to work in the area before gangs seized control.

"It will be good for me, more activities, more money more work. I'll be able to better feed my two kids and my wife," he said.

Also eager for work was Mario Volcy, a 44-year-old tap tap driver who on a recent morning pointed out the vans and big buses circulating in the area for the first time since early 2024.

He called on the government to prosecute those whounleashed the violenceand helpthose affected by it.

"All victims should receive support from the state," he said as he cut the interview short, noting with a smile that his tap tap was full. "I have to go now!"

And off he went, with a Bible on his dashboard and his tap tap emblazoned with "God is my guide" on its side.

Frustrations simmer

Not all are celebrating the revival of Carrefour Aéroport.

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Gaspar Caseus, 49, said he remains frustrated because gangs still control the main highway leading to southern Haiti. He called on authorities to retake control of other major intersections.

"I need to be able to move south," he said. "That is where I pick up coal to bring back to the city for sale."

"Things changed after the attack," he added. "It destroyed my life. It forced my family to move. I look like a beggar. I was able to eat whenever I felt like it. Now, I eat only if something comes around or a good friend remembers me."

Caseus said he heard on the radio that more help was arriving in April. That's when a so-called gang-suppression force isexpected to take the reinsof the current U.N.-backed mission that is winding down after a lack of funds and personnel.

"As long as I am alive," he said, "someday, things will change for the better."

'What's the plan?'

On a recent morning, 32-year-old Antoinette Desulmon donned a big hat to block out the sun and laid out mangoes, oranges, tomatoes and peppers in the hope that someone at Carrefour Aéroport would buy from her that day.

She noted police were on patrol in an armored vehicle and the substation had reopened, but she was afraid the peace was fleeting.

"Fear is with me every second," she said. "I am here selling, but my head is somewhere else."

Desulmon's partner went missing two years ago; she believes he was a victim of gang violence.

"I miss him a lot," she said, adding that she is also concerned about her two children who are living in a makeshift shelter with a cousin, among the 1.4 million Haitiansdisplaced by gang violence.

Desulmon said she had no other choice but to resume selling vegetables and fruit to feed her two children and cousin.

"My heart is broken," she said. "The depression is real."

Around her, nothing has been rebuilt except for the police station. Dozens of charred homes remain in ruins while businesses and schools are still shuttered.

Le Cour, the Haiti expert, said it will likely take time before Carrefour Aéroport is restored to its bustling glory of street vendors, stores selling car parts and restaurants offering coffee to morning commuters and a local soup known as bouillon for lunch.

He said he was hopeful that theincoming gang-suppression forcewould retake control of even more territory.

But even if it does, big concerns remain.

"We're missing the other side of the equation, which is, what do you do with gang members? What's the plan for the day after you retake the territory?" Le Cour questioned. "Are you able to rebuild the territory? Are you able to bring people back in?"

Coto reported from San José, Costa Rica.

MEXICO CITY, Feb 25 (Reuters) - Mexico has approved a bill to gradually reduce the workweek from 48 to 40 hours, although the reform, ‌expected to be implemented from next year, increases weekly overtime and maintains only one rest ‌day for every six worked.

With more than 2,226 work hours per person per year, Latin America's second-largest economy has the ​worst work-life balance in the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). The country, where around 55% of workers are employed in the informal sector, also has the lowest labor productivity and the lowest wages among the group's 38 member states.

The Chamber of Deputies approved the general outline of the bill late on ‌Tuesday with the support of all ⁠469 present in the 500-member Congress; none voted against. Deputies then went on to discuss the law's particular terms, approving them with 411 votes in favor.

The ⁠opposition had strongly criticized the reform during 10 hours of debate. The ruling party hailed its approval, which follows years of back-and-forth with business owners.

"Productivity is not measured by exhaustion. It is built with dignity," said ​ruling-party representative ​Pedro Haces, who also serves as the secretary general ​of the Autonomous Confederation of Workers ‌and Employees of Mexico.

OPPOSITION SAYS THERE IS NO REAL REDUCTION IN WORKING WEEK

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The opposition argued that the bill does not represent a real reduction of the workweek because it increases weekly overtime to 12 hours from nine and does not include a mandatory two days of rest for every five worked.

"The idea of the reform is not bad, but it is incomplete and was done in a ‌rush," said Alex Dominguez, a lawmaker from the opposition PRI ​party.

The reform won general approval earlier this month in the ​Senate, where the ruling Morena party holds ​a strong majority.

"After more than 100 years without changes, Mexico will gradually ‌phase out the 48-hour workweek," the Ministry of ​Labor said on X ​in the early hours of Wednesday.

President Claudia Sheinbaum introduced the proposal in December; it aims to reduce the workweek by two hours per year until 2030, benefiting some 13.4 million workers.

If ​the law is endorsed by ‌more than half of Mexico's state legislatures, as is expected, the first two-hour reduction would ​be implemented in January 2027.

(Reporting by Diego Ore and Aida Pelaez-Fernandez; Writing by Brendan ​O'Boyle; Editing by Andrew Heavens and Philippa Fletcher)

It was a charming and funny aside that some users of social media naturally used to criticize Cannavale and try togin up a controversy.(Insert eye-roll emoji here.) Byrne, now an Oscar nominee for the same role, found herself having to explain that parenthood almost always comes with scheduling conflicts and answerfollow-up questionsabout the reptilian addition to her family.

Including, I regret to report, from me. Since Conan O'Brien, who co-stars in "If I Had Legs I'd Kick You," will behosting this year's Oscars, it seems natural that Byrne will get some sort of comedic shout-out during the telecast. Has he asked her to bring the bearded lizard with her to the ceremony?

"I think he knows better than to ask that," she says, laughing. "I really regret that," she adds, referring to her acceptance speech revelation. "I'm an essentially pretty private person, and it's a tough line you have to straddle with the press. I definitely learned a lesson."

Fortunately, Byrne's professional life is rich enough to require no offscreen embroidery.

Nineteen years ago, she burst onto the cultural landscape in high drama-queen style: Wild-eyed, half-naked and covered in blood. The 2007 opening of FX's groundbreaking legal drama"Damages,"in which Byrne's young lawyer, Ellen Parsons, flees an uptown New York apartment building in which something terrible has clearly happened, sparked all manner of conversation. As the series unfurled, proving to a skeptical entertainment industry that women can be compelling antiheroes too, much of that talk revolved around Byrne.

Who was this young actor going toe-to-toe with Glenn Close as "Damages'" deliciously Machiavellian attorney Patty Hewes?

Byrne has been answering that question ever since. By now you could fill in the blank of "Wait, is that the woman from... ?" with "Damages," or "Get Him to the Greek," or "Insidious," or "Bridesmaids," or "X-Men" movies or "Spy," or "Instant Family," or "Neighbors," or "Mrs. America," or the ongoing Apple TV series "Platonic," whose third season is currently in the works. (And that list is far from exhaustive.) Post-Oscars, she'll add a Broadway production of Noël Coward's "Fallen Angels," coming just after the film "Tow," in which she plays a homeless woman who fights the system after her car is towed, premieres in March; "The Good Daughter," a Peacock miniseries in which Bryne co-stars with Meghann Fahy and Brendan Gleeson, is in postproduction.

Not to belabor the reptile references, but Byrne is something of a creative chameleon, moving easily from drama to comedy to horror, film to television to stage and back again. In many ways, her gut-wrenching, darkly funny performance as a woman pushed beyond all endurance in "If I Had Legs I'd Kick You" is a culmination of all the characters she brought to life before it.

Beginning with "Damages." Though she had done plenty of work previously, including roles in "Troy" and "I Capture the Castle," it was her role as Ellen Parsons, who becomes determined to beat Patty at her own game, that brought Byrne to fame — and all the pressures and decisions that come with it.

"I still remember filming that [opening] scene," Byrne says in an interview in the A24 offices the day afterthe film academy's nominees luncheon. "That show was tricky, getting used to how TV worked, with writers writing until the very last minute. It was still unusual for a big movie star to be doing TV, and it was daunting. Glenn, well, she's Glenn, iconoclastic; she brings all of her roles with her. But she's also eccentric Glenn and she's funny and she works so hard. Up close, seeing a great actor raises the bar. I was spoiled [getting] to watch her work every day for five years."

Byrne received two Emmy nominations and a lot of attention for "Damages," but, as is so often the case, she found herself being offered roles that were alarmingly similar to Ellen.

"You can get pigeonholed really quickly," she says. "I made the very conscious decision to do something comedic."

It's tough to imagine anything more comedic than "Get Him to the Greek," which came out in 2010, and "Bridesmaids," which premiered in 2011.

It was a bit of a leap. Having never trained in improv, Byrne had to adapt to being fed multiple alternative lines during filming while working with actors who might float off into comedic rants at any minute. "I really did learn on my feet. When I first started to do it, I found it terrifying and thrilling at the same time, trying to keep up."

She also had to learn not to break. "I was useless," she says of"Bridesmaids,"in which she plays a relatively straight role. "I was laughing all the time. But how could I not?"

By the time she starred opposite Melissa McCarthy in Paul Feig'scriminally underrated "Spy,"she had a few more experiences under her belt. "Though still it is hard not to break when you're facedwith Melissa McCarthy," she says. "I defy anyone to do it."

(When I tell her that "Spy," in which she plays a highly bewigged and over-the-top Russian mobster, is one of my favorite movies, her face lights up. "You've made my day," she says. "Isn't it great? It kind of went under the radar. But if you know you know.")

Though her roles in the first two"Insidious" movies, and more recently in the heartwarming"Instant Family,"featured the mother-in-crisis tension that fuels "If I Had Legs I'd Kick You," it was, she says, her comedic roles that stretched her as an actor.

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"When I had the opportunity to do broader characters in comedy, it was a game-changer," she says. "There was so much more color I can discover here."

Though classified as a comedy for purposes of the Golden Globes — Byrne won lead female actor in a movie musical or comedy — "If I Had Legs," like Byrne's career, defies categorization.

Based on writer-director Mary Bronstein'spersonal experience, the film follows Linda (Byrne), a therapist and mother. With her husband literally (and figuratively) at sea, Linda tries to cope with the needs of her patients while caring for a child whose inability to eat has become life-threatening.

When, on top of everything else, the ceiling of their apartment collapses, the two take refuge in a rather squalid motel, where Linda often leaves the child (who the audience hears but does not see) in their room while she smokes, drinks and contemplates the pulsating abyss she feels her life has become.

Where some see a black comedy, others see horror and/or a bleak exploration of the pressures of motherhood — an increasingly popular subgenre referred to by some as "mum noir."

Although much of her previous work involved strong co-stars or ensembles, Byrne carries this film almost single-handedly, often through close-ups shot so tightly that she felt like her eyelashes might brush the camera.

She wasn't thinking of that, however, when she got the script from her agent. Instead, she was instantly captivated by the story and what she has characterized as Bronstein's willingness to buck so many cinematic traditions, beginning with the decision not to show Linda's child: "By not showing the daughter, she forces you to reckon with the woman, a woman who is behaving really questionably in the role of a mother, something that is not particularly approved of."

Linda is hostile, defensive and quite unlikable in many ways. She apparently has no friends and seeks help where it clearly cannot be found — from her absent husband and O'Brien's narcissistic fellow therapist — while rudely rejecting it when it is kindly offered, mainly by the motel's superintendent, played by ASAP Rocky. Even for those who understand the sometimes brutal nature of motherhood, Linda is a tough sell for empathy. Only Byrne's flashes of humor and desperately flailing humanity keep her on this side of monstrous.

Byrne understands why some people might not consider "If I Had Legs I'd Kick You" a comedy — "It's a very dark story about a very serious thing" — but when she first read it, she says, "I was laughing and gasping at the same time."

The film breaks all the traditional movie rules, Byrne says. "The character is the ultimate antihero and she's a mother" — something that is rarely allowed. It's also an unforgiving portrait of the daughter, who is far from sympathetic as she whines, throws tantrums and makes endless demands.

For Byrne, the child's portrayal is also a way of keeping the film focused on Linda.

"You do have to wonder if this is how she is, or how her mother sees and hears her," she explains. "[Linda] doesn't see her as a little girl, as a child, which can happen when you're so frustrated. We've all been there. [Children] show a mirror to all of our limitations."

Linda's hostility was tough for Byrne at first, she admits. "That's not a natural space for myself. If I'm under stress, I'm not naturally hostile; I'm really spaced out. But there's a reason she doesn't have any friends. I don't think she wants anyone in her life reflecting her behavior and her choices."

The nonchronological nature of filming posed its own challenges. Byrne often had to shoot scenes from different points of Linda's progressive breakdown on the same day. Byrne and Bronstein had spent weeks combing through the script before production and met daily about each scene as production progressed.

"I tracked it as best I could," Byrne says. "I didn't want it to be one note. That was the most important thing. There always has to be nuance."

The climactic scene, which involves Linda battling the ocean, had to be shot fairly early on before the water off Montauk, where the film is set and was shot, became too cold. It was, she says, an ambitious sequence. "Fortunately," she says, "I'm an Aussie, so I grew up very aware of the ocean. But I'm sensible. I did about 75% of it, but I also had a brilliant stunt double. Our cinematographer did float off at one time," she adds with a laugh, "but Mary was always safety first."

When asked if echoes from previous works — the ailing child in "Insidious," scenes in "Physical," during which her character binges and purges in a seedy motel room — helped inform her portrayal of Linda, Byrne first expresses surprise: "I hadn't thought of that. They do like to get me in hotel rooms." But though she wasn't drawing specifically on any previous performance, she acknowledges that "Everything informs everything. All that you've done before informs where you are right now."

Which means there's a through line in the diverse work of this creative chameleon, subtle but identifiable: Byrne's own fascination with "the tension of someone trying to cover for themselves constantly, a lack of acknowledgment of reality. To see how far they go."

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This story originally appeared inLos Angeles Times.