Michelle Williams
Appearances
Dying For Sex
Michelle Williams: On Becoming Molly | 8
Oh, that scene. I can understand why you would say that that was one of your most emotional moments with her because it's also, it mirrors, it's a kind of birth and to be held as a woman by the mother who held you as a baby, to be held by your best friend and have your body cared for. I can't imagine what that was like when it happened for real.
Dying For Sex
Michelle Williams: On Becoming Molly | 8
Thank you for sharing that with us and sharing that moment from your lives and letting it be brought to a life of its own on film. I suppose what can be so great about what we get to do is that
Dying For Sex
Michelle Williams: On Becoming Molly | 8
it goes out into the world and you don't know how far and you don't know where it lands or with whom, but now this moment from your life, one of your most tender times with your best friend, of which you had so many, now becomes an access point for other people
Dying For Sex
Michelle Williams: On Becoming Molly | 8
to reflect on, to imagine, to have part of their own healing process, to give something like that of yourself away, to let it go, to give it some wings and trust that it's gonna land where it's needed. Such a beautiful act of generosity.
Dying For Sex
Michelle Williams: On Becoming Molly | 8
And I was so honored to be brought into that room.
Dying For Sex
Michelle Williams: On Becoming Molly | 8
Am I right? That's what you were going to say, right? Oh, no. I'm glad we both are on the same page about how terrible person he is.
Dying For Sex
Michelle Williams: On Becoming Molly | 8
She's a wizard. She's an acting wizard. And I have no idea how he casts his spells and it's so frustrating and he won't tell me. I just love that guy. He is so sly and so dear and so warm and so, you know, I don't know what's better with Jay between action and cut or between cut and action. I honestly don't know where I would rather be with him.
Dying For Sex
Michelle Williams: On Becoming Molly | 8
I'm like, I'd love to be your scene partner, but I also want this scene to be over so we can go back to hanging out. Totally.
Dying For Sex
Michelle Williams: On Becoming Molly | 8
Because it is such a dance. Wow. Oh, I mean, we were just hanging on to each other for dear life because I had to give him a blowjob and I'd never given a fake blowjob on screen before. And he'd never received a fake blowjob on screen before. And so we were just we were both we had nerves about that for sure.
Dying For Sex
Michelle Williams: On Becoming Molly | 8
And then when it was over, I was like, well, I guess this is what we'll always have like this weird memory, sir. Yeah. But it was okay. And we just trust fell into each other and have such camaraderie. And we just found our way. Acting is all about your response to the stimulus that's in front of you. And that's your scene partner. And so we have a responsibility to take care of each other.
Dying For Sex
Michelle Williams: On Becoming Molly | 8
And I think that was the scene that afterwards we ate so much pizza. Yeah. As another way to take care of each other. There you go. Like stress ate a giant pie.
Dying For Sex
Michelle Williams: On Becoming Molly | 8
Was there anything difficult? I mean, with Jay, you get the feeling like nothing's going to be difficult. There's going to be problems that you're going to need to solve. And each scene is its own story. entity with its own needs, wants, desires, and tricky turns. But with Jay, nothing's going to be difficult. It's going to be a pleasure to puzzle through it together.
Dying For Sex
Michelle Williams: On Becoming Molly | 8
We need to find more crimes to commit with Jay.
Dying For Sex
Michelle Williams: On Becoming Molly | 8
You know, the job brought together 120, 150 people working in their specific trades, doing what they do. But each and every one of those people was gathered around Molly's spirit. It's like a little bonfire was made. You know, this is our homage to her. That's Michelle Williams, who plays my brilliant friend Molly.
Dying For Sex
Michelle Williams: On Becoming Molly | 8
I mean... When I heard that Rob was doing the show, I just thought, oh, this is next level. This is who's like bringing their ball and bat to the field and we're going to be tossing it around. Oh, boy. All right, Michelle, start preparing now. And as with Jay, Rob has complete control. and utter willingness to go to the known and then into the unknown.
Dying For Sex
Michelle Williams: On Becoming Molly | 8
Everything you can imagine a scene might be and then abstract it and find yourself in a place you could not have predicted and you will find Rob there. Be it the emotional aspects or the comedic aspects, the man is spilling over with ideas, opportunities, offerings. Do you want to try this? Can I give you this? I'm open to doing this. How does that make you feel?
Dying For Sex
Michelle Williams: On Becoming Molly | 8
And you really have to be prepared because he can go anywhere and he can make very quick adjustments that change the shape of the game. And, oh, thank God it was Rob.
Dying For Sex
Michelle Williams: On Becoming Molly | 8
Well, some of it is technical because when it comes time to kick him in the dick, I have a very precise target to hit. So I need to have my wits about me. One false move and we're in trouble. Exactly. So that helps keep one focused when one has a target to hit and it's between somebody's legs. And I think, you know, that scene in particular has so many sharp turns.
Dying For Sex
Michelle Williams: On Becoming Molly | 8
And so it was kind of like you really had to learn the slope on that one. You're like, oh, I'm going fast. I'm going downhill. There's slaloms, there's trees, there's other skiers. I need to know this terrain.
Dying For Sex
Michelle Williams: On Becoming Molly | 8
You know, we always had our scripts to work from. And then there was constant improvisation. When you're with Rob and Jenny, everybody's pitching a joke. So it was interesting.
Dying For Sex
Michelle Williams: On Becoming Molly | 8
It was? Did you like it or was it a little like, oh? Oh, I loved it. I thought it was really fun because it mostly just happened after you felt like you had sort of completed the scene to the best of your abilities. Then they come in with the alternates. So it just kind of feels like throwing a party at the end of the show. That's fun. That's really fun.
Dying For Sex
Michelle Williams: On Becoming Molly | 8
Yeah, right? That you can rewrite some endings sometimes and that some aspect of her was being fulfilled in another realm. You know, this is like an imaginative... This is an imagination realm too, and I'm glad that we could give that to her, but you certainly gave her enough love for more than one lifetime.
Dying For Sex
Michelle Williams: On Becoming Molly | 8
I'm too young, and it sucks, okay? I haven't done anything with my life. I actually don't know what I like or what I want. I've never even had an orgasm with another person. And now I'm gonna die.
Dying For Sex
Michelle Williams: On Becoming Molly | 8
I think it's so glorious when you can find a piece of material that offers up so much to play with and that it isn't one thing or a straight line. It's very exciting to play with so many colors. Yeah.
Dying For Sex
Michelle Williams: On Becoming Molly | 8
I mean, the thing that I always think about is just how, in the way that you guys would recount her experiences, just there's total lack of judgment. And that's what we need more of. And, like, I would like to preach the gospel of Molly, which is, why waste your time judging people? Yeah. Yeah. That's not befitting an only life. You know what I was wondering today? What?
Dying For Sex
Michelle Williams: On Becoming Molly | 8
Were people, like, in your friend circle... When Molly announces, hey guys, this is how I'm going to live through the end and I'm going to go on a sexual journey to find myself. How did people react? Were they shocked? Did they judge? Were they gossipy? Did she have to deal with like ramifications of how people thought she was behaving? Yeah.
Dying For Sex
Michelle Williams: On Becoming Molly | 8
I just loved the tone that you guys found of recounting what she was experiencing and going through, but with no shame and no guilt and no negativity, just pure, loving observation that was tuned into the humanity and the hilarity, but full of love. Yeah. Oh, you just sounded like her. Oh my Let's have some Molly dreams tonight, shall we?
Dying For Sex
Michelle Williams: On Becoming Molly | 8
You already did by sharing so much with us, the podcast, this experience that we just got to have together doing the podcast, fan, fangirl dream come true for me. And, you know, the love and the cracking wide open. That's the example that you set and we're following in both of your lead.
Dying For Sex
Michelle Williams: On Becoming Molly | 8
back to where it all began nikki i know i was just gonna say that this is so like full circle right it's so amazing um you know because i've been talking about the podcast and how i fell in love with it how hard i fell for it and so on this day when i've been remembering it and thinking about it so much so that'd be brought back together to be on the podcast um is very moving um
Dying For Sex
Michelle Williams: On Becoming Molly | 8
Likewise. Stop. I'm going to cry. Because I think, you know, our show owes everything to the podcast. And then it also deviates in some of its storytelling and in some of the ways that it elaborates. But really what it is, is like we're gathered around the spirit that the two of you created on the podcast. And And Molly's spirit that's no longer with us.
Dying For Sex
Michelle Williams: On Becoming Molly | 8
So she gets brought back to life in these moments when we can talk about her and say, yeah, she was like this. And these are the lessons that I take away from her. And then to also start to hear about people having their own experiences of watching it and what they take away from the spirit of you two together and Molly's spirit.
Dying For Sex
Michelle Williams: On Becoming Molly | 8
It came to me, just kind of landed in my email inbox. This is the show that Liz is writing and producing and it's based on a podcast. And here's one episode and a link to the podcast. And I read the episode and I thought, is that as good as I think it is? And I went back and read it a second time and I said, yes, it is. And then I linked to the podcast.
Dying For Sex
Michelle Williams: On Becoming Molly | 8
and listened to it in its totality and was sobbing uncontrollably at the end and I couldn't communicate why to my husband. And so I thought, gosh, this thing really has a hold of me. I'm having such a strong response and such an emotional response. And that doesn't really happen to me so often anymore. And couldn't say why. So then it really had its hook in me because it was emotional.
Dying For Sex
Michelle Williams: On Becoming Molly | 8
It was mysterious. It was compelling. It was funny. I was in love with you guys. I was devastated that she was gone. What was it about?
Dying For Sex
Michelle Williams: On Becoming Molly | 8
So many things. So many things. Well, I think one, the unsung song of deep female friendship, which is to say it's a love affair. It may not be sexual. It isn't sexual by nature of it being a friendship, but it is a deep, passionate love affair. And that's how I feel about my closest female friends. And I haven't seen that kind of...
Dying For Sex
Michelle Williams: On Becoming Molly | 8
intense love between women, or I just don't see it enough, but I know I experience it in my own life. So I was so moved by how you guys represented that, how you lived that, how you are that. And then for me, her choice to live all the way to the end so bravely.
Dying For Sex
Michelle Williams: On Becoming Molly | 8
I was saying today to somebody that it's like when you're playing with a child and they build this big, beautiful structure of Legos or magnetiles or whatever, And the way they deconstruct it isn't piece by piece. They obliterate it. They use their arm like a wrecking ball and the whole thing comes crashing down.
Dying For Sex
Michelle Williams: On Becoming Molly | 8
And I was thinking about how when Molly got her diagnosis, that's what she did to her life. The structure of a marriage, the structure of society, the structure of... rules or human sexuality or what's acceptable. She just took a wrecking ball to it and said, this is not what I want with the time that I have left.
Dying For Sex
Michelle Williams: On Becoming Molly | 8
And the bravery of that, you know, the job brought together 120, 150 people to a place of employment, working in their specific trades, doing what they do. But each and every one of those people was gathered around Molly's spirit. I know. It's like a little bonfire was made. You know, this is our homage to her. This is our tribute.
Dying For Sex
Michelle Williams: On Becoming Molly | 8
No, not for me. I am a leap and then look kind of person. Yes. I've come to discover this about myself because when I fall in love, when I have an overwhelming response to a piece of material or a person or a place, I just start running. Right. Towards it. Right. Not away. Exactly. Yeah. Yeah.
Dying For Sex
Michelle Williams: On Becoming Molly | 8
I will be that for you for the rest of time. Okay. Thank you. That's such a beautiful thing to say. Thank you. Where did that come from? Like, there were things you wouldn't have ever known that you were doing. Like, what happened? I told her that I was completely available to seeing her in my dreams. I...
Dying For Sex
Michelle Williams: On Becoming Molly | 8
I think that when you're working on something, I think that life does kind of take on a sort of a mystical quality. And I am open to the energy of that person finding its way to me in whatever form, flickering, transmission, idea, song. I am here for it.
Dying For Sex
Michelle Williams: On Becoming Molly | 8
Right. Because it's the person that you would drop everything for and they know it. You know, the chemistry with Jenny was just so easy from day one. It was like a conversation with no beginning and no end. And it continues to feel like that. Yeah.
Dying For Sex
Michelle Williams: On Becoming Molly | 8
And I think we also bring to it the experience with our own best friendships, this enduring love that we share with our own best friends that has seen us through decades. And just the deep understanding of what that means to have that in your life and to be that for somebody else. And the feeling that you wouldn't have survived without them.
Dying For Sex
Michelle Williams: On Becoming Molly | 8
Do you remember that moment where it clicked for you and Jenny? Yeah, I remember on that day that we did the chemistry read. We were wearing the same outfit, accidentally, of course, but we had just chosen to... Wait, are you kidding me? Yeah, we were dressed... We looked like the cover of a 70s record album, like... All black with cowboy boots and a shearling jacket. And I was like, oh, hello.
Dying For Sex
Michelle Williams: On Becoming Molly | 8
Hello, twin. Hello. I guess we're already on the same brainwaves. But it was magical.
Dying For Sex
Michelle Williams: On Becoming Molly | 8
Well, because she's Sissy Spacek. I know. And she brings with her so much. So much lived experience as a person, a mother, an artist. So much enthusiasm and joy in doing what we do. And as with Jenny, immediately when I met Sissy... I thought she's my mom or we feel relational to each other. I feel as though I could be from her.