Williams plays a fictionalized version of Steven Spielberg's mother in a film loosely based on his childhood. Her performance brought her Oscar nomination number five! Williams was thrilled to play something so close to the director's heart.
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"The moment we met, he started sharing and sharing and he never ran out, you know?" said Williams. "There were always new memories and new insights into who she was and how she lived and he was very generous with them and they never stopped coming."
Williams says when she first got on the phone to talk with Spielberg, she was in the dark.
"Well, I didn't even know why he was calling me. I couldn't let myself imagine that he'd want to work with me and that he had a part for me," Williams admitted. "I thought he, like, wanted to ask something about Brooklyn or something. I was, like, 'What else am I an expert in? I don't know."
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Williams earned her first Oscar nomination in 2006 for her supporting role in "Brokeback Mountain." She was back in 2011, nominated for her leading role in "Blue Valentine."
It happened again the next year for her portrayal of Marilyn Monroe in "My Week with Marilyn." Her fourth nomination came in 2017 for "Manchester by the Sea." And now, "The Fabelmans" will take her down the Oscars' red carpet once more.
"When I read the script and I finished the last page, I just turned to my husband and said, 'They let her live. They let her live on every page of every scene," said Williams. "She's just so expansive. She is so vivid. She's passionate and she is never punished for her desires."