Yahoo Finance Michelle Williams' 'Dawson's Creek' Grams Mary Beth Peil Showed Her It Was 'Possible' to Be a Serious Actress
Williams also said Peil "immediately took me under her wing" during their Dawson's Creek days
Michelle Williams has nothing but love for her former Dawson's Creek costar Mary Beth Peil.
The Oscar winner gushed about Peil — to whom she still refers to her as her Dawson's character Grams — and her nurturing nature as the cast filmed in North Carolina.
"She immediately took me under her wing," Williams, 42, recalls in a sneak peek at upcoming appearance on Sunday Today With Willie Geist first shared by Entertainment Weekly. "I didn't have family there, I didn't have parents that were there and she really filled that role for me."
Related:Michelle Williams Honors Her Dawson's Creek 'Grams' Mary Beth Peil: 'She Called Me Her Girl'
Peil, 82, proved to be a guiding light for the future five-time Oscar nominee.
"She told me stories about New York City and plays and playwrights. She invited me to come stay with her, she took me places," continued Williams. "And she told me about this place where I could go and make a life and have a career and do really fun and exciting work, and she told me that that was possible for me. Even though I was on a teen soap opera, she would talk to me about the future and what that could look like for me."
Noted Williams, "She was the first person who took me kind of seriously, honestly."
Related:Michelle Williams and Joshua Jackson Have Mini Dawson's Creek Reunion at Oscars 2023 After Party
Williams also praised Peil last November at the 32nd annual Gotham Awards.
"I was an emancipated minor when we met. I was 16 years old, and I was totally alone," she recalled in the speech. "Mary Beth Peil was the first artist that I had ever met in my life. She didn't call herself that, but there was something different about her."
She continued, "It was the way she asked questions, the way that she leaned into conversations, and how excited she seemed for every moment of every day on our TV set. And I didn't know what this ineffable quality was, but I knew I wanted to pull my chair closer to hers."
Related:The Stars of Dawson's Creek: Where Are They Now?
Though Dawson's Creek ended in 2003 after six seasons, Williams and her castmates have remained close over the years.
James Van Der Beek revealed in early March that his on-screen mother Mary-Margaret Humes still makes him feel special with a sweet treat each year. "Every year since my mother died, [Humes] makes me cookies and sends them to me on my birthday," the actor, 46, captioned a clip on his Instagram Story. "I have the best TV momma on the planet."
Humes and Van Der Beek's on-screen dad John Wesley Shipp, both 68, also recently attended Katie Holmes' off-Broadway show The Wanderers. Sharing a photo from the occasion, Holmes wrote: "Thank you @thereal_margaretmaryhumes and @johnwesleyshippjr for your support and love!"
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All six seasons of Dawson's Creek are streaming on HBO Max.
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