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Michelle Williams was named best female actor in a TV movie or miniseries for her role in Fosse/Verdon at the 26th annual Screen Actors Guild Awards on Sunday night.
Having been nominated six times previously (including ensemble cast nominations), it was Williams’ first SAG award win.
Recalling a story of an impactful memory, the actress said, “When I was 12, in between extra work and the occasional infomercial, I had the fortune to be in a movie [Species] with Ben Kingsley.” Williams said that he told her that he doesn’t like to act, he likes to react, and this advice stayed with her throughout her career. She also went on to say that she found herself “so damn lucky” to have worked opposite Sam Rockwell in Fosse/Verdon.
Williams then thanked the cast and crew of the project, and then her daughter, Matilda. “It’s one thing to be completely honest as an actor, and it’s one thing to be completely honest as a human being,” she said. “I love you and I’m coming home.”
Williams beat out fellow nominees Patricia Arquette (The Act), Toni Collette (Unbelievable), Joey King (The Act) and Emily Watson (Chernobyl).
In the press room backstage, Williams spoke about what the award means to her: “I’ve been acting since I was 10, my entire life, the place that I started was pretty bottom of the cesspool, so to be here in this room means so much to me.”
Regarding Fosse/Verdon, Williams went on to say, “This job’s working environment was the best I’ve ever known, so supported … I felt like an equal, so to be honored for that by my peers is really a meaningful thing.”
As for young female actors who are following her, Williams said, “I hope this isn’t bad advice, but the advice I have is to not take advice from business people, be true to yourself and follow the instincts and urges that arise uniquely inside of you.”
“Do the thing that only you can see,” she concluded.
Later in the evening, Williams’ co-star Rockwell received the SAG Award for his performance in Fosse/Verdon. Onstage, he thanked “the amazing” Williams and called her his “wonder twin.”
The 26th Annual SAG Awards, which took place without a host, aired on TBS and TNT from the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles.
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