Despite her hustle, not to mention devastatingly gorgeous performance, Michelle Williams did not win an Emmy for Dying for Sex. The show didn’t win any of its nine nominations, including the two remarkable supporting turns from Jenny Slate and Rob Delaney. In our coverage of Delaney the other day, one lovely reader expressed shock that Williams lost and said of the performance “I cried Terms of Endearment-level tears!” Same here! At least for the final episode, I sobbed through the whole thing during my first watch of the series. Up until then I had been watching with joy and delight at what everyone was bringing to this story. Trophies or not, the work will stand the test of time.

Sometime on Emmy Sunday, Williams did a photoshoot and interview with ELLE Magazine where she once again touted the female-driven theme and production of Dying for Sex, and then also talked fashion notes. Michelle wore a ruffled/pleated and pearl-adorned Chanel gown, that every online description I’ve read labels as “pink” but my eyes stubbornly insist is a gray bone color.

What was it like embodying this character?
I felt such a responsibility to embrace Molly wholeheartedly from the very beginning. She left us this beautiful record of her life, not only through the podcast, but also in her book, which she made sure to finish before she died. Even though the book isn’t a part of our show, it gave me such a wealth of insight. The questions I had, she had already answered for me.

At the same time, the heart of the project wasn’t just about Molly, it was about her friendship with Nikki. I wanted to honor the deep love that exists between women, the kind that isn’t always romantic but is just as powerful and life-shaping. Those friendships have been the greatest loves of my own life, and that passion was something I really wanted to embody. We all felt deeply connected throughout the process, driven by the desire to do justice to the story of these two extraordinary women.

How did this show differ from past projects?
What struck me immediately was how many women were present in every part of the process. This was a show about women, written by women, directed by women, starring women—with so many women on the crew—and all centered on the story of a dying woman exploring her desires and the best friend who stood by her side. That simply doesn’t come along very often.

It felt so special that FX not only gave us the chance, but also the resources to tell this story. We recognized that, and we wanted to approach the work in a devotional way, to make something meaningful, but also to open the door for more opportunities where women can tell each other’s stories.

What do you love most about your look for this evening?
What an indelible honor to wear a look from Chanel’s [spring/summer 2020 collection]. The gown has breathtaking intricacy, and yet, was as easy to slip into as a second skin. I admired it all evening, and it is now a precious memory as one of my favorite things to ever wear.

[From ELLE via AOL]

Wait, the gown was from a 2020 collection? Because those outlets that were calling the dress pink, were also saying it was vintage. If 2020 counts as vintage, then I’m positively ancient! Anyway, Williams was stuck in that ill-suited Louis Vuitton contract for all those years, but she really seems to glow in Chanel. I wouldn’t call this particular look my favorite of all the Chanel she’s ever worn — that would probably be the pink satin column dress she wore to the 2010 Blue Valentine premiere at Cannes — but at least she enjoyed wearing it, plus it looked comfortable!

The celebration of female friendship in Dying for Sex is truly an overwhelming, beautiful part of the show. But Michelle Williams is still a true friend to any gender: Dawson’s Creek creator Kevin Williamson just told Variety that it was her idea to stage a cast reunion to support James Van Der Beek in the wake of his cancer diagnosis. And now it’s really happening! A live reading of the pilot on Broadway September 22 with the original cast, and proceeds benefitting F Cancer (and Van Der Beek). There’s also an auction going on right now, where one of the prizes is a “BFF Lunch with Michelle Williams & Busy Phillips in NYC,” currently at $2,050 with just under two weeks to go. Oh, if I only had the funds!

Embed from Getty Images

Embed from Getty Images

Photos credit: Getty, Cover Images and Avalon.red