The 15 best Michelle Williams roles, ranked

With five Oscar nominations to her name, Michelle Williams has proven herself to be one of her generation's most talented actresses.

As a teen, she played small parts in TV shows such as Baywatch and Home Improvement. But her big break came when she landed the role of Jen Lindley on Dawson's Creek, the beloved '90s series that opened Hollywood's doors for Williams — and led to a successful career on the big screen.

Though she often plays mothers or wives, Williams' characters are anything but one-dimensional, with her strongest performances coming from heavier dramatic material. However, she's exhibited an impressive range of talents by crafting distinct, complex characters in practically every film she touches. It's safe to say that there's no shortage of great Michelle Williams movie performances. Here are a few of EW's favorites.

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15. Venom: Let There Be Carnage (2021)

Michelle Williams Movies — Everett Collection

In this ridiculous sequel to 2018's Venom, Williams reprises her role as the titular antihero's ex-fiance, who helps Eddie Brock (Tom Hardy) in his battle against Carnage (Woody Harrelson). Midway through the movie, Williams gets to show off her comedic chops when she seduces the alien and convinces it to reunite with Eddie. She talks to the symbiote while nobody else can hear, leaning into the absurdity of the situation. And while Venom: Let There Be Carnage is far from her finest film, it's still enjoyable to see Williams have fun with more lighthearted material than usual.

If you liked Venom: Let There Be Carnage, you might also enjoy: Black Adam (2022).

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14. Shutter Island (2010)

In Martin Scorsese's psychological thriller Shutter Island, Williams essentially plays a ghost — her character is only seen in the visions and memories of her husband, Teddy (Leonardo DiCaprio), as he investigates a murderer's seemingly impossible escape from an island-bound asylum. She has a kind of disaffected vacancy that clarifies she's nothing more than a figment of her husband's imagination, completely lacking interiority in a way that inversely enhances her character. Williams moves with a calm slowness, and there's an unsettling deadness in her gaze that separates this performance from the rest of her work.

If you liked Shutter Island, you might also enjoy: Memento (2000).

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13. The Station Agent (2003)

Before he made Spotlight, Tom McCarthy wrote and directed the charmingly low-key drama The Station Agent, which follows antisocial train enthusiast Fin (Peter Dinklage), who after the death of his only friend, begrudgingly gets to know a grieving woman (Patricia Clarkson) and a friendly neighbor (Bobby Cannavale). Williams plays a small part that proves essential for the development of the main character as the young librarian Emily, who confides in Fin when she faces a crisis and provides symbolic hope for his future. Despite her limited screen time, Williams' performance is far from one note — she's messy and down to earth, displaying a wide range of emotions and a complicated attitude toward the protagonist that makes her motivations somewhat mysterious.

If you liked The Station Agent, you might also enjoy: Garden State (2004).

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12. Certain Women (2016)

Based on a collection of short stories by Maile Meloy, Kelly Reichardt's drama is split into three distinct chapters about three Montana women (Laura Dern, Lily Gladstone, and Williams) who are confronted with personal and professional disappointment. Williams' chapter tells the story of Gina, a regular woman who is building a home with her husband (James Le Gros) in the middle of nowhere. revolves around a more subdued conflict. Gina's better half repeatedly puts her in uncomfortable conversational positions, always playing the good cop to her bad cop when it comes to parenting and socializing. Though Gina puts on a brave face when necessary, Williams' body language demonstrates that the character is irritated by these relational patterns, as small glances and microexpressions clarify her inner frustration. It's a quiet yet powerful performance.

If you liked Certain Women, you might also enjoy: Songs My Brothers Taught Me (2015).

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11. Me Without You (2001)

Sandra Goldbacher's coming-of-age drama focuses on two English girls (Williams and Anna Friel) whose tempestuous friendship is repeatedly tested over the course of their adolescence. Williams' Holly is the quieter and shyer of the duo, and lacks the extroverted charisma that gets Friel's free-spirited Marina so much attention. Williams displays an unspoken discomfort in many awkward social situations, making it clear that she's exhausted by her friend. But when they're alone, Holly's warmth toward Marina explains why they still put up with each other.

If you liked Me Without You, you might also enjoy: Ginger and Rosa (2012).

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10. Take This Waltz (2011)

Sarah Polley's romantic dramedy casts Williams as a restless young professional who's happily married to a kind-hearted cookbook author (Seth Rogen), but nevertheless feels a strong connection with a mysterious stranger (Luke Kirby). It's one of the actress' most natural performances, and one that's a perfect showcase for her dynamic range. Her inner turmoil is almost entirely unspoken, with the central drama playing out on her endlessly expressive face — she spends a good portion of the film trying not to cry, and an equal amount of time trying not to laugh. The character is messy, confused, and at odds with herself, with Williams all the while ensuring that she's sympathetic despite her questionable judgment.

If you liked Take This Waltz, you might also enjoy: What If (2013).

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9. Dick (1999)

In this cheeky political comedy, Williams plays a giggly teenager who accidentally stumbles into the Watergate scandal with her best friend (Kirsten Dunst) and befriends Richard Nixon. Her character Arlene is practically a parody of teenage girl stereotypes: She's awkward, fidgety, and totally fixated on teen heartthrobs, to the point where she's completely ignorant of her surroundings. The film's comedy hinges on the ridiculous notion of a teenager romantically fantasizing about one of the American presidents with the least sex appeal. It's preposterous and hilarious to see Tricky Dick framed as a teen heartthrob, but Williams earnestly sells her character's infatuation — she breathily sings Nixon a song and giggles on the Watergate tapes, treating him as if he's a fellow high schooler.

If you liked Dick, you might also enjoy: All I Wanna Do (1998).

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8. After the Wedding (2019)

In this remake of a Danish drama of the same name, Williams plays Isabel, a woman who reluctantly travels to New York to secure funding for her orphanage in India and accidentally uncovers a surprising family secret in the process. Isabel is so passionate about her work that she's somewhat alienating to other Americans, but she's overwhelmingly sweet and warm to the children that she works with. At the movie's most dramatic turning point, Williams silently plays a massive realization with intense clarity to immediately unsettle us long before we understand the full extent of the situation. Yet in other scenes, she's fittingly awkward and tender with Abby Quinn, and makes a formidable sparring partner for Julianne Moore.

If you liked After the Wedding, you might also enjoy: Blackbird (2019).

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7. My Week With Marilyn (2011)

ACTRESSES WHO PLAYED MARILYN MONROE — Michelle Williams in 'My Week With Marilyn.'. LAURENCE CENDROWICZ/TWC

Williams' turn as Marilyn Monroe in the biographical drama My Week With Marilyn is one of her most transformative performances. Though she doesn't bear a striking physical resemblance to Monroe, Williams still channels the spirit of the iconic actress with maximal charm and vulnerability, which the Academy rewarded with yet another Oscar nod. When she enters a room full of fans or the press, she instinctively switches into movie star mode, so attuned to social dynamics that she has the power to get any crowd on her side. Meanwhile, in the scenes where Monroe struggles to perfect her lines on a film set, Williams captures the star's unique blend of fragility and allure. Despite her reputation as a shallow sex symbol, Monroe was so much more than that. And Williams' passionate performance makes it clear that Marilyn cared as much about her craft as she did about her image, demonstrating her desire to excel and prove the skeptics wrong.

If you liked My Week With Marilyn, you might also enjoy: Mank (2020).

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6. Manchester by the Sea (2016)

Michelle Williams and Casey Affleck in 'Manchester by the Sea'. Claire Folger

Kenneth Lonergan's poignant drama Manchester by the Sea follows Massachusetts handyman Lee (Casey Affleck), whose life is upheaved by overwhelming personal tragedies. Williams — in her fourth Oscar-nominated role — portrays the protagonist's estranged ex-wife Randi, who makes an enormous emotional impact on the film despite only appearing in a handful of scenes. In her first flashback sequence, Williams gets to show off her mastery of a Boston accent, acting playfully irritated with her husband's immaturity. Later, at a key turning point, her raw anguish is incredibly intense and uncomfortable because she's so overwhelmed with grief. And her showiest scene — Randi's sole present-day confrontation with Lee — is devastatingly painful, as she's so full of feeling and regret that it hurts to witness.

If you liked Manchester by the Sea, you might also enjoy: You Can Count on Me (2000).

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5. Brokeback Mountain (2005)

Michelle Williams and Heath Ledger in 'Brokeback Mountain'. Everett Collection

Ang Lee's tender cowboy drama charts the tumultuous romance between ranchers Ennis (Heath Ledger) and Jack (Jake Gyllenhaal) as they struggle to connect in a repressive society throughout the decades. During their separation, Ennis marries Alma (Williams), who initially seems happy despite craving more affection from her husband. Once she discovers his passion for Jack, however, Alma freezes with heartbreak, as Williams emphasizes her character's sadness and despair, before boiling over with rage years later. Brokeback Mountain earned the actress her first Oscar nomination and also sparked a real romance between Ledger and Williams, who were together for three years before separating just months before the actor's tragic death in 2008.

If you liked Brokeback Mountain, you might also enjoy: Fire (1996).

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4. Wendy and Lucy (2008)

Michelle Williams in 'Wendy and Lucy'. Everett Collection

In her first of many collaborations with director Kelly Reichardt, Williams plays Wendy, an unhoused woman who lives out of her car with her beloved dog Lucy (played by Reichardt's actual dog of the same name). The film lacks conventional plotting but still has an abundance of troubling conflict, as unfortunate circumstances strip Wendy of the few possessions that she holds dear. The movie focuses on how the arbitrary cruelty of American society dehumanizes the marginalized, and though Williams' quiet, understated performance highlights the exhaustion of her character, the actress refuses to let Wendy lose hope, assuring us through small gestures that she's still full of genuine kindness despite overwhelming circumstances.

If you liked Wendy and Lucy, you might also enjoy: Nomadland (2020).

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3. Meek's Cutoff (2010)

Michelle Williams in 'Meek's Cutoff'. Oscilloscope Laboratories

Williams' second Kelly Reichardt film tracks the journey of a group of 19th-century settlers along the Oregon Trail. As Emily Tetherow, Williams exudes a quiet confidence and competence that disrupts the patriarchal power structure of her party. She's clearly the wisest and most thoughtful member of the group, which makes it all the more frustrating to watch as she's constantly belittled. Though Emily maintains a veneer of respect for her companions, it's clear she has little faith in the male travelers' leadership, and Williams easily garners the audience's sympathy through her character's repeated attempts to assert herself.

If you liked Meek's Cutoff, you might also enjoy: First Cow (2019).

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2. The Fabelmans (2022)

Michelle Williams in 'The Fabelmans'. Merie Weismiller Wallace/Universal Pictures and Amblin Entertainment

In Steven Spielberg's semi-autobiographical coming-of-age film The Fabelmans, the director casts Williams as a fictionalized version of his mother, an erratic but tender pianist torn between family and the passion she has for her art. Unafraid to play up the unsavory elements of her character, Williams presents a complex portrait of a conflicted woman who struggles to make the best decisions for her family. Williams' Mitzi Fabelman is aggressively temperamental and unpredictable, swinging between emotional extremes and frequently prioritizing her selfish desires over the well-being of her loved ones. Yet she's also warm and generous, which makes it easy to see why Mitzi means so much to her family and friend — and why Williams received a Best Actress Oscar nod for her portrayal.

If you liked The Fabelmans, you might also enjoy: Cinema Paradiso (1988).

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1. Blue Valentine (2010)

Michelle Williams and Ryan Gosling in 'Blue Valentine'. Everett Collection

Derek Cianfrance's heartbreaking film Blue Valentine examines the romance between married couple Cindy (Williams) and Dean (Ryan Gosling), contrasting the beginning and end of their storied relationship over the years and through many hardships. In her second Oscar-nominated performance, Williams' amazing chemistry with Gosling means that she makes the giddy romanticism of the past as overwhelming as the dysfunction of the present. The actress subtly delineates between the younger and older versions of her character by adding a little extra brightness and pep in her step for the flashback sequences. Yet in the present-day scenes, she effortlessly sells Cindy's simmering frustration, which stems from her constant disappointment in her spouse.

If you liked Blue Valentine, you might also enjoy: Marriage Story (2019).

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