Michelle Williams baffles fans with Mary Beth Peil tribute

Michelle Williams sparked concern when her former Dawson’s Creek co-star Mary Beth Peil passed away when she gave an emotional speech in honor of the actress at the Gotham Awards in NYC on Monday.

Michelle, 42, who played Jen Lindley on the show from 1998-2003 alongside 82-year-old Peil as Evelyn ‘Grams’ Ryan, stunned fans with her speech, which left many convinced that Peil – who is very much alive – had died .

The Marilyn actress, who accepted the Film Tribute Award, said: “Whenever something good happens for me in my life, I can draw a straight line back to someone who should have been here tonight, but as a New Yorker living in a reality that you have absolutely no control over – so she’s not in the room, but she’s in my heart.

Michelle added that she was an “emancipated minor” when she met Peil, saying, “I was 16 years old and I was all alone.

Mary Beth Peil was the first artist I had ever met in my life.

“She didn’t call herself that, but there was something different about her. It was the way she asked questions, the way she leaned into conversation, and how excited she seemed every moment of every day on our TV set.

“And I didn’t know what this unspeakable quality was, but I knew I wanted to pull my chair closer to hers.”

“I wouldn’t have known how to handle being Steven Spielberg’s mother [in The Fabelmans] without having been Mary Beth’s granddaughter, so thank you Mary Beth, and thank you Gotham Awards for this.”

Acclaimed actress Peil is currently starring in the off-Broadway show A Man Of No Importance alongside Big Bang Theory star Jim Parsons.

The emotional speech quickly shocked fans eager to check Peil, with one writing, “This is a beautiful eulogy for someone absolutely alive and currently in a play.”

Another wrote, “No one could possibly get away from this speech thinking that Mary Beth Peil is alive (she’s lmao),” while a third typed, “It’s a great speech, but I panicked for a moment when I was pretty sure of that I didn’t hear about Mary Beth Peil’s passing, but I think she just meant that she literally couldn’t be physically present.

Another wrote, “Very happy with all the Mary Beth Peil tweets, but now I’m nervous.”

Michelle’s character Jen was a New York party girl who moved in with her grandmother in the small Massachusetts town of Capeside after getting into trouble.

Her death in the finale was one of the most heartbreaking moments in TV history.

The Gotham Awards is the first ceremony to kick off the awards season, recognizing the achievements of artists in film and television.

“We are extremely proud to honor Michelle Williams, whose iconic performances in collaboration with our most renowned directors have defined her as a leading talent of her generation,” Jeffrey Sharp, executive director of The Gotham Film & Media Institute, said in a statement. when the award was announced in October.

“Michelle is a true New Yorker and we are thrilled to claim her as one of our own by recognizing her with a Performer Tribute at this year’s Gotham Awards,” he added.

Williams is getting a lot of Oscar buzz for her role as Mitzi Fabelman in director Steven Spielberg’s The Fabelmans, loosely based on his childhood.

She is expected to land her fifth Oscar nomination for the role, which could eventually land her first Oscar win.

The actress was previously nominated for Brokeback Mountain, Blue Valentine, My Week With Marilyn and Manchester by the Sea.

Williams also stars in director Kelly Reichart’s new film Showing Up, which had its world premiere at the Cannes Film Festival and is making the festival rounds.

She is also attached to star in the biopic Fever, which follows the personal and professional life of acclaimed singer Peggy Lee.

While she hasn’t confirmed the name, Williams was first seen with her newborn in late October.