Michelle Williams Says There’s No Oscar Rivalry: “It’s Not What I Experience With My Colleagues”

Michelle Williams shuts down those who think they know what’s really going on on the inside when it comes to the Oscars.

The five-time Oscar-nominated actress, who received her latest nomination for Best Actress in a Leading Role for her performance in The Fablesdiscussed the 2023 Academy Awards with Yahoo! Entertainment in an interview published online Thursday.

When asked about the perception of the Oscars and whether it raises unrealistic expectations for aspiring actors, she said: “I’m not quite sure how to feel about [the Oscars]because it just happened.”

But The Fables actress had more to say about when seemingly viral moments are twisted online. After awards shows, comments about actors’ and actresses’ reactions to award losses and competition will sometimes make their way onto social media for a viral moment. But Williams claims that what people see online isn’t always entirely true.

While rivalries can be sparked even without merit, the actress sets the record straight: “Fortunately, I don’t think it feels that way from the inside.”

“It feels like being in a room full of people who share a common love, and that’s the energy that exists from actor to actor,” she explained. “If it looks like a competition, it might look like that from the outside, but that’s not what I experience with my peers. I experience a lot of warmth, friendly feelings and support for each other’s work.”

At this year’s Oscars, Everything Everywhere Everything at once star Michelle Yeoh took home the Oscar for Best Leading Actress, beating out Williams, Cate Blanchett, Ana de Armas and Andrea Riseborough.