Michelle Williams gave the world a preview of her magnificent transformation into Marilyn Monroe on the cover of Vogue magazine.
Williams will soon play the fashion icon in a biopic about her life. The upcoming film, My Week With Marilyn, will focus on the troubled star’s journey while filming the 1957 movie, The Prince and the Showgirl.
The photo spread in Vogue was shot by famed photographer, Annie Leibovitz and in it, Williams bears a striking resemblance to Monroe.
But it wasn’t an easy transformation.
Williams opened up to Vogue, explaining she initially didn’t want to play the role. For her, it felt too daunting and after reading the script, she actually spent six months trying to convince herself not to do the movie.
After finally talking herself into it, Williams went through an incredible physical transformation to embody the curves Monroe was known for.
Unfortunately, it went right to my face, Williams told Vogue. So at some point it became a question of, Do I want my face to look like Marilyn Monroe’s or my hips?
She opted for the hips, and used special foam padding to polish off the look.
The journey was well worth it in the end, though.
It felt like being reborn. It felt like breaking my body and remaking it in her image, learning how she walked and talked and held her head. None of that existed in my physical memory, and I knew I needed as much time as possible to make it a part of me, Williams told Vogue. I wish I could play her for the rest of my life.
The full interview will be available in the October issue of Vogue, which hits newsstands on September 20.
