Michelle Williams Left Viewers Confused By Her Eulogy-Like Message Addressed To “Grams” Mary Beth Peil
Michelle Williams delivered a beautiful but emotional speech last Monday at the Gotham Awards in New York City. It confused viewers as it was directed toward her Dawson’s Creek co-star Mary Beth Peil.
Michelle is most remembered for her role as Jen Lindly from 1998 to 2003 at Dawson’s Creek. She shared many years and scenes with Mary Beth, who played Evelyn “Grams” Ryan, her grandmother on the show.
And the fans were utterly baffled because the content and tone of her speech gave the impression that Mary Beth had passed away.
When Michelle accepted the Film Tribute Award, she said during her speech, “Whenever something good happens for me in my life, I can draw a straight line back to somebody who was meant to be here tonight but being a New Yorker, means living in a reality that you are not in control of—so she’s not in the room, but she’s in my heart.”
The Marilyn actress further shared that she had just been 16 when she had first met and worked with her onscreen grandmother and had been quite alone then. Mary Beth was the very first artist that she had ever met.
Michelle indeed had nothing but fond memories with her co-star, who she mentioned was different. Mary Beth asked questions, leaned into conversations, and was always excited about every moment and scene on set. These qualities had made Michelle want to be closer to Grams, even off-screen.
Michelle continued by expressing her gratitude for being Gram’s granddaughter because, without having that chance, she wouldn’t have been able to handle and survive being Steven Spielberg’s mother in The Fabelmans.
Due to this speech almost sounding like a eulogy, many were quick to stalk and find out what was happening to Grams. And the concern quickly turned to relief upon finding out that Mary Beth is very much alive. During Michelle’s speech, she was probably in the middle of her off-Broadway show, A Man Of No Importance, with Jim Parsons, one of the Big Bang Theory alums.
Many fans exchanged their perceptions, with one saying that after Michelle’s speech, you’d expect that Mary Beth had indeed passed away.
One commended Michelle’s tribute as being beautiful and sincere. Still, it caused many to freak out and worry that Michelle might have intended the whole message to mean that Mary Beth couldn’t be “physically” present that day because of other commitments.
Michelle’s Jen character in Dawson’s Creek was an image of many young adults then and now. In the series, Jen is a carefree party girl used to the big city of New York. And because of the trouble and lousy company she keeps, she moves to Capeside, a small Massachusetts town, with her grandmother.
Finding friendship and love and going through the ups and downs of young adulthood into womanhood, Jen became one of the core characters of Dawson’s Creek. And her death—with Grams still at her side—was one of the most unforgettable and heartbreaking moments.
