Michelle Williams: From Dawson to Diva

For those born after the Generation Y crowd, the term Dawson’s Creek might seem a bit outdated. For those of us in the know, it’s actually quite nostalgic. Dawson’s Creek was one of the timeless series of my teenage years, and its legacy still lives on. For instance, its creator, Kevin Williams, is the head writer and creator on The Vampire Diaries, perhaps the hottest show on TV. James Van Der Beek is starring in one of the most buzzed about mid-season replacements, Apt 23, and Joshua Jackson has been a star of JJ Abrams’ Fringe for almost four full seasons now. One of the most successful alumni of Dawson’s Creek is Michelle Williams, who has had the most critically acclaimed success of them all. After turning heads in indie successes Brokeback Mountain and Blue Valentine, she most recently starred in My Week with Marilyn, in which she played the titular role of Marilyn Monroe. She is now nominated for her third (third!) Academy Award, and many are extremely surprised to know that she was a star of the often-dismissed and lambasted Dawson’s Creek. This show was ridiculous (I mean, these teenagers had the vocabularies of Ph.Ds, yet Pacey couldn’t even get into college), but Michelle Williams easily shone through as one of the most impressive actors on this teen-centered network. Now she’s truly arrived. She is a well-respected actress and fashion icon. She can be counted on to look absolutely gorgeous at any event, and so it’s no surprise they chose her to portray perhaps the most influential fashion icon of the past century. I have to say I was impressed with exactly how dead on her take on Monroe was, but I won’t make that mistake again. From here on out, I only expect great things of Williams, and I am excited to see what she turns out!