Michelle Williams reveals she quit film 'Blood' because story reminded her of Heath Ledger
Michelle Williams is said to have backed out of a film because it reminded her too much of her late ex-husband, Heath Ledger. Williams, who divorced the Australian actor only months before his death in 2008, was said to be in talks to feature in a film called 'Blood', but she felt the storyline was too much for her to handle. The story shows a young woman named Chloe (played by Carla Juri) who travels to Japan following her husband's death to meet with one of her old acquaintances. The film was inspired by Williams and Ledger's real-life experience and love story.
Previously, Williams allowed her friend and the film's director, Bradley Rust Gray, to base the film on her and Ledger's love story. Williams, 41, was the one who came up with the title 'Blood' after having it come to her in a dream. But it was simply too traumatic for her to re-open old wounds when it came to recording a scene and acting like a sad widow on camera. Gray told Entertainment Weekly, "We both shared this weight, of death, and the feeling that you always carry that weight when somebody close to you dies. When we were getting ready to shoot the film, she realized it was all a little too close for her still, and she politely bowed out."
RELATED ARTICLES
Michelle Williams splits from husband Phil Elverum less than one year after their secret wedding
In 2007, only months before Ledger died of an accidental overdose in January 2008, Ledger and Williams divorced. He was only 28 years old at the time. He was said to have been a drug user on and off for years, but things came to a head when he was juggling too many films — including his last prominent role in 'The Dark Knight' — on very little sleep, and he was depending on different prescription medications to lock his thoughts down. In an interview with The New York Times, Ledger said, “I couldn't stop thinking. My body was exhausted, and my mind was still going.”
After appearing alongside Brokeback Mountain in 2004, the Hollywood stars began dating in 2004. Matilda, their 16-year-old daughter, was born in 2005 after they had been together for a year. Later, Michelle was married to guitarist Phil Elverum for a short time in 2018. They separated the following year, and then Williams got engaged with filmmaker Thomas Kail in April 2020.