Actress Michelle Williams is defending her buddy Jeremy Strong after the Succession actor was featured in a New Yorker piece about his obsessive approach to acting. Strong was willing to go to extremities to accomplish his performances, including demanding to be tear-gassed for a sequence in “Trial of the Chicago 7,” according to the essay, which was published in December. According to the New Yorker profile, Strong had a “…closet of incongruously high-end clothes; he possessed a Dries Van Noten suit and a Costume National hoodie that he ripped to shreds, but few essentials.”
According to Variety, Michelle said, “I think that unfortunately the word ‘method’ has become a buzzy one because of what happened to Jeremy Strong when he tried to describe his process. He takes his work as seriously as he takes his play.” “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,” she continued.
When she got asked about the New Yorker piece, she said, “It’s true that his clothes were always designer, but he had only one sweater and two t-shirts and they were torn at the neck because he would play ponies with my daughter and let her ride on his back and use his clothing as reins. “So he walked around with his beautiful things ruined and he never thought twice about it and he never told her to stop.”(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 on it, because hers did,” Michelle continued. “We’ve all been in awe of his talent. We’ve watched him work harder than anyone and wait a long time for other people to recognize it. So when he became so celebrated, we all celebrated,” she added.
Strong and Williams met in 2004 while both participating at the Williamstown Theatre Festival. Following Heath Ledger’s untimely death, Jeremy, Michelle’s sister, and another friend moved into Michelle’s home. He allegedly assisted her small daughter, Matilda, who is now 16 years old, there. She mentioned, “I feel open and I feel very trusting, but I also know that there are things that I shouldn’t talk about because they are too private and they are too hard. But now when I’m rambling on about my work or my process, I wonder if that should stay in the vault. But I also love Jeremy so much. So even though this period took place during the time that I don’t talk about, I wanted to share it, because it takes a very special person to play with a child the way that Jeremy did.”