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Sandra Bullock<\/a> took the latest episode of SmartLess<\/a> to process the death of her longtime partner, Bryan Randall. \u201cHe asked me not to share. I know why he asked me not to,\u201d she said, while noting that his request \u201cisolated me in the process.\u201d The photographer died in 2023 after a private three-year battle with ALS. Bullock told SmartLess hosts Sean Hayes, Jason Bateman, and Will Arnett that she kept the diagnosis hidden from even her closest friends for much of that time. \u201cMy sister was the only one who knew for a while,\u201d Bullock said. \u201cAt first, I go, \u2018Oh, I can handle that. I can be quiet.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n Then lockdown hit, and Bullock was left juggling drug trials, raising young children at home, and caring for her ailing partner \u2014 \u201ca trifecta that was pretty dark,\u201d as she called it. Eventually, Bullock shared Randall\u2019s diagnosis with her two closest friends, Jennifer Aniston and Bateman\u2019s wife, Amanda Anka.<\/p>\n As many people who care for a dying loved one know all too well, the grieving process started for Bullock long before Randall died. \u201cWhere he was in his journey, both physically and mentally, I started grieving Brian four years before he passed. There was something that had shifted,\u201d she said. \u201cMy person left a lot earlier than the body left. I don\u2019t think I ever dealt with that until after he passed, because you\u2019re just on this treadmill.\u201d Bullock took a step back from acting during the last few years of Randall\u2019s illness, but now she\u2019s back in full promo mode for Practical Magic 2<\/a>. <\/p>\n Sign up for the Vulture Daily<\/p>\n An entertainment newsletter for the pop-culture obsessed.<\/p>\n Vox Media, LLC Terms and Privacy Notice<\/p>\n