Michelle Williams is an actress normally associated with small budget independent films such as Blue Valentine, Manchester by the Sea, and My Week with Marilyn. Her latest film is the big budget comic book film Venom, which hits theaters October 5, 2018. In Venom, Williams plays district attorney Anne Weying. Anne’s boyfriend is the lead character in the film Eddie Brock.
Screen Rant: I love Anne. She’s great. Recently in comic book movies, we've been seeing a little bit of a shift where it's not the damsel in distress and it's not just a one note [love-interest] character. So, how does Anne differentiate from that and not play to those tropes?
Michelle Williams: Well, when we started making the movie, I think guys, ‘We got to be cognizant of the time that we're making the movie in. I know that, probably, you won't let me get out there in a ‘hashtag me too’ t-shirt, but that should be the vibe.’ That was really important to me. I wanted to play on that male female dynamic. Who wears the pants? They both do. So, that was really important to me to not sit back and let things happen to me.
Screen Rant: Well, I love that because Eddie is such a strong character, but Anne’s right there with him, like verbally, everything. She's perfect. A perfect contrast to him. So, how does Anne view Eddie and Venom? Because they're not the same at all.
Michelle Williams: Right. They're not the same. They are different looking number one, [CHUCKLES] very different looking. But I think it's not too hard to keep them separate.
Screen Rant: Sure. You've worked with a ton of great actors throughout your career. How was it working with Tom?
Michelle Williams: Tom is amazing because he's able to… One of the things that I so appreciate about working with him, is that he's able to find what's real. Even when you're dealing with monsters and really wild physicality and language that you've never said before, ever, he's able to find what really grounds it. So, you don't feel like a total liar, loser when you go to work and you're just kind of faking your way through it, you know? You're really able to invest in it because he's right there.
Screen Rant: You've been a part of giant tentpole movies before. But this is your first comic book movie. Did you have any advice from any veteran actors that have portrayed other roles in other comic book movies?
Michelle Williams: No, I should have asked though. I should have. I should have asked around about how one navigates this sort of world. I watched some comic book movies before I started. And it just seemed like they were all having a good time.
Screen Rant: Sure. Where would you like to see Anne go next in the Venom universe?
Michelle Williams: Right in that same direction. Tougher, more bad ass. Really, just a woman who can hang with the boys.
Screen Rant: Yeah. I think that she totally can. In every scene she does. Now, who's better for her in your opinion? Dan or Eddie?
Michelle Williams: Oh, who's better for your heart and who’s better for your head? I mean, that's the question. That's what all of us women are asking us. My head wants this. My heart wants this. They both are really likable guys. I mean, I think they have a little bit of a thing going. I think they have a little bit of a something, something. So, maybe, there's room for three.
Screen Rant: Exactly. It's kinda cute. With these superhero movies, the popularity of them taking over, do you think at all that the bubble will ever burst? Because there's so many different genres you can do with superhero movies.
Michelle Williams: Yeah. I was talking to a friend of mine about it, who's an actor, and he was talking about how much he really enjoys these kinds of roles. Because for character actors, there's really nothing like it. Where you can really explore something very idiosyncratic, very unusual, but really like rich and deep and that these comic book movies are a really fertile ground for character actors.
Screen Rant: Right. Now, speaking of like rich and deep, what part of the script, or any part of the movie, really drew you in, to get you on board with this project?
Michelle Williams: Well, I haven't seen the final version. They never really asked me if I want… I mean, I want to see it, I'd like to see it. I don't know how you, I don't think you could, like they won't just send you a link and you can watch it at home. So, maybe there's a screening that I can go to or something. I'm looking forward to being able to answer that question.
