- Destiny’s Child star Michelle Williams chatted with Robin Roberts during a visit to Good Morning America on Monday, Feb. 3 about back on Broadway 20 years after making her debut as a replacement in Elton John and Tim Rice’s Aida
- The return makes her eligible for a Tony Award come nomination time, but Williams said, “I feel like I’ve already won,” when asked about the accomplishment
- Williams was last on Broadway in 2018 for the revival of Once on This Island, but she exited the production after only two weeks on doctor’s orders due to ongoing depression
Michelle Williams is currently starring on Broadway in Death Becomes Her, the hilarious and critically acclaimed stage musical adaptation of Robert Zemeckis’ 1992 dark comedy starring Meryl Streep, Goldie Hawn, Bruce Willis and Isabella Rossellini.
It’s the first time the Destiny’s Child star has originated a role on a New York City stage — a milestone that comes over 20 years after she made her debut on the boards, as a replacement in Elton John and Tim Rice’s Aida. And though that means the Death Becomes Her star will be eligible for a Tony Award come nomination time, she told Robin Roberts during a visit to Good Morning America on Monday, Feb. 3 that being back on Broadway is the prize.
“I feel like I’ve already won,” said Williams.
That’s because the last time the Grammy winner was on Broadway, in 2018 for the revival of Once on This Island, she exited the production after only two weeks on doctor’s orders due to ongoing depression.
“I had to leave. Broadway show because of my mental health,” recalled Williams, who at the time had ended her engagement to Chad Johnson. “And I thought that door was closed for me to return on Broadway. I thought I’d blew it. I thought I’d be seen as a liability. ‘Can she maintain?’ And six years later I get a phone call, minding my business, saying, ‘We want you to come to New York.’ ”
Earlier that same year, Williams had checked herself into a treatment facility for her depression. She told Roberts she thought she was good enough to do Once on This Island but quickly realized she was in over her head.
“I wasn’t as well as I probably should have been, and it just got to the point where I had to check out of the show,” she said. “I didn’t want to do it. To me, that was two blows in the same year: checking into a treatment facility for depression and then checking out of show, still, because of it.”
Since then, Williams has put her mental health first. She’s used her platform to speak out about the topic, becoming an advocate for others in similar positions. She’s even getting her certification in life coaching from the Coaching and Positive Psychology (CaPP) Institute led by CEO Valorie Burton.
“I love being able to help people,” said Williams. “Again, I didn’t know where my life was going to go. And I love helping people make certain life transitions or coaching them out of what I was in.”
Making those pivots, Williams noted, are possible when you have things that can anchor you through the tough times. “Being in preparation for the storms that lie ahead: you have to be anchored,” she highlighted.
Now, eight shows a week at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre in New York City, Williams received the reminder that “when you think that you did wrong and something happened, [you can] get another chance.”
And she got that feedback again last month when she met for the first time Rossellini, the actress whose Lisle Von Rhuman in the film is the basis for Williams’ Viola Van Horn on stage. PEOPLE debuted exclusive photos from their backstage greeting, as snapped by showbiz shutterbug Jenny Anderson.
“I turned into a little girl, or [whomever you become when you meet] somebody you admire and respect so much,” Williams said on GMA, of the moment she met the Oscar-nominated actress. “I didn’t want to keep her waiting. My hair and makeup was all over the place!”
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She went on to praise Rosselini’s “kindness” and “grace” explaining that the Italian actress gave her so much love. “For her to say she’s so proud and how excited she was to see the show? For me to be able to do a little bit of justice for her role, because she was the trailblazer. So I’m just following her footsteps,” Williams shared.
Good Morning America airs weekdays (beginning at 7 a.m. ET) on ABC. Tickets to Death Becomes Her are now on sale.
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