Oscar-nominated actor Michelle Williams credits longtime friend and “Succession” star Jeremy Strong with helping her and daughter Matilda cope after Heath Ledger’s death. The “Shutter Island” star recently shared her decade-long friend Strong’s impact on her life, especially during the most difficult stage when she was grieving the loss of Ledger, who was Matilda’s father.
Are Michelle Williams and Jeremy Strong friends?
Michelle Williams and Jeremy Strong became close friends when they were beginning their careers in Hollywood. As per Williams, the duo met at the Williamstown Theatre Festival in 2004 while working for different production houses.
The Emmy-winning actor shared that she and Strong had no “real access to an interior of a life in the theater or in cinema” at that time. In NPR’s Fresh Air podcast, the 44-year-old actor disclosed that they bonded over their hunger to make it in Hollywood. The “Venom” star revealed, “We were hungry, we were wanting and striving. That is hard and takes a lot of effort and also a lot of doggedness to keep at it.”
The duo’s friendship became a pillar of strength for Williams when the father of her daughter, actor Heath Ledger, passed away in 2008. A year before that, the actor had broken up with The Dark Knight star.
During her time of grief, Strong was a constant presence, Williams admitted. She previously told Variety, “Jeremy was serious enough to hold the weight of a child’s broken heart and sensitive enough to understand how to approach her through play and games and silliness.”
Matilda was only two years old when her father passed away, and Strong knew exactly how to console a child. Williams shared, “[Matilda] didn’t grow up with her father, but she grew up with her Jeremy. And we were changed by his ability to play as though his life depended upon it, because hers did.”
In the recent NPR podcast, the “My Week with Marilyn” star additionally shared Strong’s adorable nickname for their house. Williams recalled, “We had a name, I think maybe Jeremy came up with it, and he called it Fort Awesome.”
She explained, “Something [like] what you imagine as a child, you imagine this place where you could go. And you could make some of the rules, and you would be together. It would be full of fun and play and ideas and personalities and acceptance and love. I think that was kind of like what that time was. It was like Fort Awesome.”
Originally reported by Arpita Adhya on ComingSoon.
