Michelle Williams is opening up about stepping into another emotionally complex role in "Dying for Sex."
In an interview with "Good Morning America" that aired Monday, the five-time Oscar nominee opened up about portraying Molly Kochan, a woman living with a terminal cancer diagnosis, in the Hulu series.
"Her bravery to take the worst news, which is going to be news that we all receive, and to continue to view her life with creativity and joy and pleasure," Williams said of what drew her to portray Kochan. "And I thought, 'Oh, I'd like that.' I would not have been capable of that."
The show is inspired by the true story of Kochan, who, after learning her cancer had returned, chose not to let the disease define her final chapter. Instead, she embarked on an unexpected journey of intimacy, pleasure and self-discovery.
"She continued to seek pleasure amidst painful procedures and bad news...the diagnosis was not going to be who she was," Williams said.
For Williams, playing Kochan meant more than embodying a woman facing the unimaginable.
"This diagnosis became a portal," she explained. "A way for her in the time she had left to go back to heal an original wound & experience pleasure in a body before she no longer had a body to experience."
The series, adapted from the podcast created by Kochan and her best friend Nikki Boyer, follows Kochan’s decision to leave her sexless marriage and embrace unconventional connections as she confronts mortality head-on.
Asked what gave her confidence to take on such a role, Williams admitted, "I don't know if it's confidence, really. But I think it's a leap of faith and I enjoy taking those."
Review: 'Dying for Sex' is another affirmation of Michelle Williams' talentHer leap has already been recognized as Williams has earned an Emmy nomination for her performance, alongside Jenny Slate, who plays Nikki, Kochan's confidante and best friend.
Their on-screen chemistry, Williams said, reflects their real-life friendship.
"It's love," she said. "It's about how passionate of a love can exist between two female friends. And that's what we had when we met, an instant connection and desire to be closer. She and her family have moved to Brooklyn & now our children are in school together. So the love is real."
For longtime fans, "Dying for Sex" marks another milestone in Williams' career, which began with "Dawson's Creek" in 1998. At just 17, she became a breakout star as Jen Lindley, a role still remembered decades later.
Seven years later, her career took a defining turn with "Brokeback Mountain."
"Oh gosh. Well, it made me a mother," Williams, now 44, said, referencing her daughter Matilda, whom she shared with the late Heath Ledger.
Michelle Williams gets emotional discussing Heath Ledger and their daughterNow, Matilda is 20, and Williams has built a family with husband Thomas Kail, the Tony-winning director of "Hamilton." Together, they share three younger children.
That support system, she said, grounds her.
"I'm lucky enough to know that that support walks with me all day, every day," she said. "And when I do say that I want to go to work, my family says, 'Great, it's about time.'"
Even with decades of acclaim, Williams admits her approach to acting continues to evolve.
"I think I started having more fun maybe somewhere in my 40s," she said. "I found myself capable of a little more relaxation, and then I was having more enjoyment. I think each time there's a feeling of, 'Well, I'm willing to risk it all. And I'm willing to go splat.'"
All episodes of FX's Emmy-nominated limited series "Dying for Sex" are now streaming on Hulu.
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