India, Jan. 8 -- Actor Jennifer Marshall, who appeared on Stranger Things as Max Mayfield's mother, says her absence from the show's fifth and final season had real-life consequences beyond the screen.

Marshall has revealed that returning to the Netflix series could have helped her secure union health insurance while recovering from cancer, according to the New York Post.

Marshall, 44, shared her concerns in an Instagram post this week, saying she was medically cleared and able to work when Season 5 was filmed.

"I had cancer, I get it," Marshall wrote. "But I was in remission during the shooting of season five." She added that participating in the production would "have helped me obtain my health insurance through the union."

Marshall...