“I Think I’ve Come a Long Way”: “Wendy and Lucy” Actress Michelle Williams

And they did.  In a recent telephone conversation, Williams said her relationship with Reichardt was unique when compared to any other experience she’d had with a filmmaker. “There was a bit of preparation,” she said. “But mostly, I just fell deep into Kelly’s style… Being in that environment she created helped really bring out that character.”

Environments like Reichardt’s are being challenged.  Their finished products are having more and more difficulty finding audiences and distribution.  After screenings in Cannes, Toronto, and at NYFF, “Wendy” is being released domestically as the first narrative feature distributed by Adam Yauch‘s Oscilloscope Laboratories. Its December 10th release date places it in midst of a heavy string of awards-seeking specialty films, many with studio-funded marketing budgets. But Williams admits she hasn’t always been invested in what happens to a film beyond her involvement in its production.

“I’ve never really been interested in the business side of film,” she said. “I’m more attached to the character so I’ve always just wanted to immerse myself in the roles. So I don’t always notice these things. But I do know that things have become more dire. And I know working with less money changes things: You can’t do certain shots, you’re under certain time constraints.”

Michelle Williams in a scene from Kelly Reichardt’s “Wendy & Lucy.” Image courtesy of the Oscilloscope Laboratories.

Williams’ admirable separation of herself from a film’s economy might be tested with “Wendy,” in which she has begun to tentatively take the lead to support the movie, “It was different with this film,” she said. “Because it was much more of a collaboration [with Reichardt].  And because it was really my first lead role.  I have a lot more invested in it.”

She said that her and Reichardt “really just made it for themselves,” but that stance has been tested as the film met festival after festival with glowing reception, most recently at the New York Film Festival.  “The response has really been amazing,” Williams said. “Kelly and I really didn’t expect it.  I mean, seeing it screen at the Zeigfeld with this big audience. It was really gratifying.”

Williams’ involvement certainly can’t hurt come the film’s December release. Despite mostly avoiding films with significant mainstream appeal, Williams has had trouble stepping out of the spotlight (primarily due to tragic offscreen events). But, when asked if she considers her fame an opportunity to get her work to larger audiences, she hesitated. “I never really think of that way,” she said. “I don’t really consider myself a ‘celebrity’ in that I have some sort of special power or influence.”

She even modestly suggested that the film could have worked just as well with another actress, a remarkably doubtful idea. Though she spoke very little dialogue in the movie (despite being in nearly every shot), Williams pulled together a nuanced and disciplined performance likely to be considered her best yet, and potentially a dark horse in this year’s awards race. Nominated for an Academy Award for “Brokeback Mountain,” Williams’ reflection of her past awards experience remains unsettled. “I still don’t really know what to make of it,” she said.

Williams joked that she is not “Wendy”‘s true awards contender. “It was actually Lucy that won the award at Cannes,” she said. “The Palm Dog Award. She wears this little award on her collar.” So will Lucy become the Academy’s first canine nominee? “That’d be amazing,” she laughed.

Jokes aside, “Wendy” is surely something the 28-year old should be proud of.  It’s been over ten years since her breakthrough on the television series “Dawson’s Creek,” and Williams’ maturation as an actress is clear. “I think I’ve come a long way,” she said. “I’ve been working since I was a teenager. And if I can be proud of anything in my career, it’s that I’ve become better as an actor. And that certainly can be attributed to the filmmakers I’ve worked with.”

In the past two years alone, Williams has worked with Reichardt, Kaufman, Todd Haynes, Lukas Moodysson (on the upcoming “Mammoth,” an experience Williams called “incredible”), and Martin Scorcese (the just wrapped “Shutter Island”).

Currently taking an indefinite break after the seemingly impossible amount of work she’s done recently, Williams is unsure about what kind of projects (or which directors) she’ll pursue upon her return. “I feel like I’ve become out of touch,” she sighed. “It’s been awhile since I went to see a film. I think I just crossed this line where I became more focused on being a mother. I asked somebody recently what ‘High School Musical 3’ was.  And she said, ‘Don’t ask that, you sound old!’”

I think the word Williams’ friend was looking for was “wise.”