Kalispell native a fashion hit on Oscar night
<p>Michelle Williams arrives before the 84th Academy Awards on Sunday in Hollywood. The Kalispell native was nominated for best actress.</p>
Kalispell native Michelle Williams didn’t win an Oscar on Sunday for channeling Marilyn Monroe, but she did win a Spirit award for that movie role.
Williams on Saturday received the award for top Lead Female performer at the Film Independent Spirit Awards.
A day later she was on hand at the Academy Awards, nominated for best actress for her role in “My Week with Marilyn.” That statuette was won by Meryl Streep for her role in “The Iron Lady.”
The Oscar nomination was the third for Williams, who also was nominated for best supporting actress for “Brokeback Mountain” in 2005 and as best actress for “Blue Valentine” in 2010.
Williams, 31, was born in Kalispell and later moved as a young girl to California.
She has been a frequent nominee for Spirit awards, which recognize artistic achievement across the broad spectrum of independent films and include more than a dozen award categories.
Saturday marked the first Spirit award for Williams, who thanked the audience in Santa Monica, Calif., for always making her feel welcome, even when she was a young actress ignorant of awards show protocol.
When she first arrived at a Spirit ceremony 10 years ago, Williams recalled, “I wore my own clothes back then, which weren’t very good. And I did my own hair.
“In this room, unlike others, that was OK,” she said with a wide smile, “probably even preferred.”
Williams’ star turn as one of the screen’s premier sex symbols hasn’t changed her all that much, she noted. When asked if playing Marilyn Monroe made her feel like more of a bombshell herself, she paused for a moment before answering, “Not really.”
Her clothes have changed, though: The stunning Louis Vuitton dress that Williams wore at the Oscars drew rave reviews from fashion watchers.
“Bringing their sartorial one-two punch were knockouts Michelle Williams and Rooney Mara who easily took home the gold,” the New York Daily News said. “The Best Actress nominee for ‘My Week with Marilyn,’ donned a coral Louis Vuitton gown with peplum detail accessorized with a bejeweled ribbon on the side.”