Michelle Williams on ‘Dying for Sex,' finding the perfect role and embracing pleasure: ‘Can you leave shame at the door?'
Michelle Williams was pregnant when she first realized she wanted to be the one to tell the real life story of Molly Kochan, a young woman with Stage 4 terminal cancer who choses to make the most of her final years by exploring her unmet sexual desires. But there was an obvious roadblock.
'I couldn't do this job and have a baby in my stomach,' Williams shared with Gold Derby. So she reluctantly put the Dying for Sex aside and enjoyed a two-and-a-half year acting hiatus during which she welcomed her third child.
More from GoldDerby
Critics hail Celine Song's 'Materialists' as an 'exquisitely made' modern love story - not a 'glossy romantic comedy'
Ben Stiller and Robert De Niro reunite, tease 'Meet the Parents 4'
'Heartwarming' yet 'bloated': Film critics are mixed on 'How to Train Your Dragon' live-action remake
A five-time Academy Award nominee and Emmy winner, Williams has a knack for picking roles worthy of critical acclaim; and she kept coming back to Molly, telling Gold Derby 'I couldn't shake her.' Eventually, she inquired about the current status of the show to discovered it was yet to be cast after all that time — and she knew why.
'This was for me, this must be for me,' she said. 'I had such a strong connection with the material originally. That all this time had passed and it had gone unmade reinforced my magical feeling, my belief that this part and I were meant for each other.'
Sarah Shatz/FX
Williams was joined on stage in a post Dying for Sex screening panel by her costar Jenny Slate, who plays Molly's real-life best friend Nikki Boyer — Boyer, a producer on the series, was also in attendance along with Rob Delaney ['Neighbor Guy'] and writers and cocreators Kim Rosenstock and Liz Meriwether at the Dying for Sex FX presentation at Disney FYC Fest.
Dying for Sex is based on Kochan and Boyer's Wondery podcast of the same name, so the cast was aware of where each boundary-pushing episode may take them as they explored everything from BDSM to animal role play and even golden showers, leaving Williams to wonder each time she received a new script, 'What situations am I going to find myself in?'
But the actress admits there was no hesitation with the material, 'There's no 'Oh gosh, I don't want to do that,' or 'I feel uncomfortable.' It's just, I cannot believe that I get to do this crazy mash up of experiences and emotions.'
Despite the physical exposure and vulnerability that was necessary in portraying these wild sexual adventures, Delaney says the real work was in examining the emotions behind the behavior. 'The emotional stuff you've really got to strip away and be honest and open. I'll speak for myself but I found that a lot harder than getting [literally] kicked in the balls.'
For Williams, in telling Molly's story her own ideas around sex changed. 'Can you feel pleasure without shame?' She personally pondered while speaking with Gold Derby. 'Can you accept what you want and try and leave shame, which seems to be some sort of cultural inheritance as women, but can you leave shame at the door?' Despite her fearless and raw exploration of personal pleasure and sexual desire, when pressed for her conclusion she laughed.
'Working on it!'
Best of GoldDerby
Brandon Scott Jones on CBS' 'Ghosts': 'I enjoy playing characters that are desperate'
'She's got tunnel vision': Wendi McLendon-Covey reveals what she loves most about her character Joyce on 'St. Denis Medical'
Marlon Wayans on laughing through tragedy in 'Good Grief' and why social media has made comedy 'toxic'
Click here to read the full article.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
'Guardians of the Galaxy' star says her Oscar award is 'trans' and uses 'they/them' pronouns
Oscar-winner Zoe Saldaña told People Magazine Tuesday night that her Academy Award uses "they/them" pronouns. "We have it in my office and my Oscar is gender-fluid," Saldaña said, adding that she considers the statuette to be "trans." Earlier this year, the 46-year-old "Guardians of the Galaxy" actress won her first Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress in the controversial musical-drama "Emilia Pérez." The film followed a Mexican cartel leader who seeks a gender-transition operation to escape his cartel past. Transgender Best Actress Oscar Nominee Apologizes For Old Tweets Criticizing George Floyd, Islam "Emilia Pérez" also boasted having the first openly transgender Oscar nominee for Best Actress with Karla Sofía Gascón as the title character. Gascón ultimately did not win the award. Saldaña is not the first actress to claim her award was non-binary. Actress Jamie Lee Curtis referred to her first Oscar statuette as a "they/them" in honor of her transgender child Ruby during an interview on the "Today" show in 2023. Read On The Fox News App "Here they are! In support of my daughter Ruby, I'm having them be a they/them," Curtis said in a video while pulling out her Oscar award. Curtis reiterated how her award was "de-gendered" in an interview for "The View" in 2024. Click Here For More Coverage Of Media And Culture "It lives in my house, I have de-gendered it. I have a trans daughter, and there is no genitalia on it, so it lives in my office. And I put a googly eye, for the homage to 'Everything, Everywhere, All at Once' and I put a they-them button to just make sure anyone coming in understood," Curtis said. Curtis won her first Oscar for her supporting role in the film "Everything Everywhere All at Once."Original article source: 'Guardians of the Galaxy' star says her Oscar award is 'trans' and uses 'they/them' pronouns
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
‘Materialists' Filmmaker Celine Song Knows Something About Love
The best romantic comedies in and of themselves become timeless Bibles of life. Woody Allen's Annie Hall didn't just speak to the 1970s single folk but also to any teenager in a future era going through heartbreak. More from Deadline 'How To Train Your Dragon' Won't Be Laggin' At Summer Box Office With $175M-$185M Global Start For Live-Action Redo - Preview 'Materialists' Review: Dakota Johnson Measures Value Of Love Between Chris Evans And Pedro Pascal in Celine Song's Sublime Romcomdram From Grammy Nominated Hip Hop Artist To Indie Filmmaker With 'Paradise Records': The Rise Of Logic - Crew Call Podcast Ditto for 2009's 500 Days of Summer: It may have been about millennials and for millennials, but carried themes about the pursuit of love that any fortysomething could relate to. And, so, we arrive at Celine Song's Materialists which is a deconstruction of the singledom that's absolutely now, steeped in its social media marketability and posh wants, but at the end of the day it's the raw, shabby, sincere form of love which wins out. In turning the romcom on its head (though Jane Austen's Emma does come to mind), Dakota Johnson plays Lucy, a high-end matchmaker in NYC who contends with her clients lofty wants in a mate. Lucy, who knows everything there is about marketability in the game of courtship, falls for the ultimate unicorn in Pedro Pascal's ultimate rich dude, Harry. But then Lucy's ex, John (an amazing, no-holds-barred Chris Evans) reenters the picture. He doesn't have Harry's wallet, but, man, he knows what makes Lucy tick (beer and soda). Before she was an Oscar nominated filmmaker, Song was a matchmaker ten years ago. 'I learned more about people in those six months, than in any other part of my life,' she tells us today on Crew Call. Though she doesn't consider herself an expert on love, you can't deny her knowledge. Move over, Leo Buscaglia. 'Love is a completely mysterious thing that we don't have a solution for,' says Song about the difference between dating and finding the love of your life. 'Love is something that humbles us, that ask us to surrender, it's the one that asks us to be our purist, most simple self,' Song shares, 'When love is offered to you, all you can say is 'Deal'. You can say 'Yes, deal. I want this love in my life.' Materialists opens this Friday. Best of Deadline 'Stick' Release Guide: When Do New Episodes Come Out? 'Stick' Soundtrack: All The Songs You'll Hear In The Apple TV+ Golf Series 2025 TV Series Renewals: Photo Gallery
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Chris Evans' Candid Reaction to Learning Robert Downey Jr. Is Playing Doctor Doom: ‘Huh?'
While the latest addition to the Avengers movie series will feature a mixture of current fan favorites, former actors reprising their superhero roles, and new faces making their debut, it'll also have a significant villain twist. Longtime Iron Man actor Robert Downey Jr. is set to play the villain role, and will be Doctor Doom in the 2026 film Avengers: Doomsday. While it's a noteworthy change for Downey, the casting decision drew rave reviews from fans. Many Marvel fans are happy Downey is back for the upcoming movie, although the decision to flip the high-profile actor from being a core member of the Avengers to the next villain they face was still surprising. One name that found himself on the "surprised" side of reactions when the news broke was another former Avenger and longtime Captain America star, Chris Evans. Evans recently sat down with Screen Rant alongside Materialists co-star Dakota Johnson to discuss their new film. However, the topic of Downey as Doctor Doom was understandably a talking point, and Evans revealed his candid reaction to finding out the news. Johnson asked the million-dollar question many fans likely initially wondered by saying, "He's a villain now?" This led to Evans explaining his own one-word response to hearing that Downey would play Doctor Doom, and offering an interesting food metaphor for clarity. "When I first heard it, I was like, 'Huh?'" Evans admitted. "But it's almost like cheese and the crust. You're like, 'There's nothing more we can do with this pizza,' and then you're like, 'Oh, damn. You know? What else? What if we did this? (makes flipping motion). Whoa.'" While a pizza metaphor isn't quite the direction I expected Evans to go, he deserves some credit for uniqueness. Evans has repeatedly said he will not reprise his role as Captain America in Avengers: Doomsday, with the shield officially being passed to Anthony Mackie. As for Mackie, he stepped into the role for the 2025 film, Captain America: Brave New Evans' Candid Reaction to Learning Robert Downey Jr. Is Playing Doctor Doom: 'Huh?' first appeared on Men's Journal on Jun 10, 2025