Michelle Williams Smolders in GQ - Talks Heath Ledger, Marilyn Monroe and the Paparazzi
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Michelle Williams graces the cover of the Feb. 2012 issue of GQ, and her smoldering, scantily-clad photospread makes it even clearer why she was cast as Marilyn Monroe. (Editor's Note: Dang). Not only does she look the part, but she played it masterfully -- and even won Best Actress in a Musical or Comedy for My Week With Marilyn at the Golden Globes this past Sunday.
And while the sexy pics alone are worth a peek, Michelle's vulnerable, heartfelt interview is one of the most compelling we've read in a while. In it, she talks about her relationship with Heath Ledger, her reluctance returning to acting after his death, and taking on the challenge that is playing the most legendary sex icon.
Read the whole GQ interview here!
On why she's avoided sexy roles until now:
"I wouldn't say that that would be one of my first qualities as a human being—being sexy...And I think because my character on Dawson's Creek was sexy...sexualized...sexual...I saw all the negative attention and connotations that can come along with that. And that those things can keep people from seeing you clearly."
On falling for Heath Ledger while shooting Brokeback Mountain:
"Our initial meeting, the circumstances of how we first met, were cosmic or something.Yeah, a lot of things happened at once...It's a bit like: We had a lot of things to do, because we didn't have a lot of time."
On the insane media attention after Heath's tragic death:
"It was making me crazy. I felt like I was going crazy. It was too much—trying to deal with what had happened and trying to deal with what was at our doorstep. I just felt trapped. And it's not just me—there's somebody else who I'm trying to protect, and I can't. I can't make it stop, I can't make it go away. Trying to find ways to explain it or shield her from it. It's like you're trying to go about your life, and make dinner...but the roof is off of your house, and the walls are falling down."
When asked whether she ever thought about what life would be like with Heath now, she teared up and replied:
"I said it would make me too sad to answer but it's also...one of my favorite things to imagine. It's actually one of my favorite places to visit."
On her reluctant return to acting, when Blue Valentine director Derek Cianfrance offered to change the setting of the film from LA to Brooklyn, so she could stay with Matilda:
"There was no working through this. This is something that had to be gotten through on its own terms...I went back internally kicking and screaming. I am now very grateful."
On the poster of Marilyn she had on her wall as a child that inspired her performance:
"...It made her feel so relatable. And made Marilyn seem like she was just a girl or something. She's spinning, and she's wearing a white dress and barefoot and her arms are out and she is spinning with her head back and she's smiling. And she looks so happy. Maybe this felt like the real her or something. Because those ones where she is backed into a corner with a dress falling off, those ones feel like they're for men."
What do you think of Michelle's vulnerable interview? And, okay, how HOT does she look??
Photos by Michael Thompson/ GQ
