Sandra Bullock says Bryan Randall’s ALS diagnosis changed everything as she stepped away from acting

Sandra Bullock has opened up about the emotional toll of caring for her late partner Bryan Randall while continuing to work, revealing that she feared she could develop a mental health issue during one of the most difficult periods of her life.

Speaking on the SmartLess podcast on Monday, August 24, Bullock reflected on the period surrounding Randall’s ALS diagnosis and her work on the 2022 action comedy The Lost City. She explained that she was struggling to balance filming, caring for Randall and looking after their two children.

Bullock said she began questioning whether she could continue acting after returning to the Dominican Republic for reshoots on The Lost City. She recalled arriving on set after getting only a few hours of sleep and said those around her immediately noticed how exhausted she looked.

The actor said the physical strain was visible enough that digital work was required during post production to make her appearance consistent with the rest of the film. She ultimately decided that she had reached a point where she could no longer continue working at the same pace.

"When Bryan got sick, after Lost City, I was like, 'I can't.' I thought I was going to have a little bit of a mental issue," Bullock said.

She later described the decision to stop acting as necessary because she felt she had nothing left to give at that moment. Bullock has since taken a more selective approach to her career while continuing to be associated with major film projects, including Practical Magic 2.

Randall, a former model and photographer, died in 2023 after being diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, commonly known as ALS, in 2020. He and Bullock had been together for eight years after meeting in 2015, when Randall was hired to photograph her son Louis' fifth birthday party.

Bullock previously explained that Randall wanted his diagnosis kept private. As a result, she said she largely kept the situation within the family, with her sister Gesine Bullock-Prado among the people she confided in.

The secrecy surrounding Randall's illness added another layer of difficulty as Bullock became his caregiver. She said she began grieving before his death because she understood that his condition would eventually require her to take on that role.

"My person left a lot earlier than the body left," Bullock said, describing how the diagnosis changed Randall while he was still physically present.

The actor also revealed the extensive arrangements she made to care for him at home. She hired four male nurses to provide round the clock support and created a dedicated area of her home for Randall's care. During the COVID 19 pandemic, she required visitors to undergo multiple tests as she sought to protect him.

Bullock also arranged for a children's therapist with experience in terminal illness and grief to support her children during the period.

She said the experience fundamentally changed her understanding of caregiving and left her grateful to the people who helped her family through Randall's illness.