Selma Blair apologized to “the people I let down” in her first public speech since her arrest on assault charges following an incident on a plane earlier this month.
The 54-year-old “Cruel Intentions” star shared a video on Instagram on Friday, saying she was taking the legal matter “very seriously” despite her lawyers advising her not to talk about the case.
“I’m so sorry to the people I’ve let down, hurt, scared, alarmed,” Blair said.
“I know I have been silent for several weeks since October 11th and you should have heard from me directly. I’m sorry it took so long,” Blair said at the beginning of the video.
New York authorities said at the time that Blair was allegedly “physically abused” and removed from a Delta flight from Los Angeles to New York City. The Port Authority said two flight attendants reported injuries, one of whom was taken to a hospital.
The actor was charged with two counts of second-degree assault in connection with her alleged behavior after the flight. She is accused of kicking a Port Authority police officer who took her to the hospital and later a nurse at the hospital. She has pleaded not guilty to the charges.
Blair defended her character in the film, saying it was not in her nature to hurt others.
“But the simple thing I can tell you, and the truest thing I know about myself, is that I have never in my life ever meant to hurt or intimidate anyone,” Blair said.
She thanked those who showed their love and support.
“It means the world to me and my son, he means the world to me and so does Scout, he’s great,” she said, referring to her service dog.
“So now, I’m taking care of my health and my son’s health, and thinking of you all with gratitude and love,” she said at the end of the video.
Blair revealed in 2018 that she had been diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, an autoimmune disease that attacks healthy cells in the central nervous system, according to the National Institutes of Health.
Blair’s lawyers told the court her actions were the result of a medical emergency, citing diagnoses of multiple sclerosis and Parkinson’s disease.
During her Oct. 12 arraignment, her attorney, Shawn Barnes, told the judge he did not believe the attack was intentional and that the star had missed several doses of her medication and also fell and hit her head on the plane.
A representative for Blair said separately in a statement that Blair “experienced a medical emergency that resulted in the alleged conduct.”
The district attorney’s office said the case was adjourned to January 19.