At this point, I think all of us have gotten used to the familiar tradition of Celebrity Mothering. As soon as a (usually B-list) celebrity has a baby, suddenly they are in the Mom Business, and they start mommy-blogging, mommy-shilling or developing some projects involving motherhood and babies or whatever. Jessica Alba is a good example of this. Nicole Richie is another great example. Gwyneth Paltrow is too, although I think her shtick is less about motherhood (motherhood plays a part, though) and more about Gwyneth wanting to “advise” peasants on what they’re doing wrong. I can’t go onto People Magazine without seeing some B-list or C-list “mommy” doing some blogging for the site, and on and on.
So what happens when the celebrity mom is A-list and she has a full career as, you know, an actress? What happens when the celebrity mom is Michelle Williams?
Michelle Williams’ passion project won’t be shown on-screen anytime soon, but that doesn’t mean the Oz the Great and Powerful actress is any less proud of it. Williams, 32, recently told Paper magazine that her biggest off-screen project right now is raising her 7-year-old daughter, Matilda.
“Raising the kid is the work, yeah. And it’s amazing, and it’s the ultimate creative act,” she told the publication at the Kate Young for Target party on Tuesday, April 9. “That’s my side project and my center project.”
Matilda is Williams’ daughter with her late ex, actor Heath Ledger.
Williams, who debuted an edgy new haircut at the star-studded event, added that for her, she enjoys concentrating all her energy into only a few things at a time.
“I wish I had side projects!” she said of pursuing other passions outside of work. “I’m kind of like a ‘one thing at a time’ girl. I can’t really take on [more]. I wish I was one of those people who’s also taking lots of photos and going to cooking classes. But I just work and raise the kid. That’s all I can do.”
The Blue Valentine actress quietly split with boyfriend Jason Segel earlier this year after just under a year of dating. The A-list couple maintained a low-profile romance throughout their relationship, with Segel only speaking vaguely about Williams in an interview with Extra last April.
“I think we would just very much like to be happy,” he said at the time. “That’s all I’m going to say about it.”
To be fair to Michelle, I think she’s telling the truth – she’s a single mom and an A-list actress, and I believe that she pretty much just spends her time working and mothering. To be fair to Michelle, I think she was just answering specific questions about her “side projects”. But I also think she was throwing some subtle shade: “I wish I was one of those people who’s also taking lots of photos and going to cooking classes. But I just work and raise the kid.” Ha! Hear that Goop? Michelle thinks your “cooking classes” are adorable. She wishes she had time to do that kind of stuff, but she’s too busy being an in-demand actress.
Photos courtesy of WENN.
I think she was just admitting her Pinterest envy. I am a full time student with obligations and programs galore, and I envy my friends who get to update their Pinterest or who are hobby photographers. The last time I logged in to Pinterest was January. Oh, how I covet the time to do that! Yes, I could NOT post here and Pinterest instead, but I need a glass of wine and at least three hours. And I need Celebitchy to help me relax my brain before studying LOL
I don’t think Michelle was throwing shade (although it would be funny), but she was just saying she doesn’t have time to do the chill things in life. 🙂
I agree, I don’t think she was trying to throw shade.
I think she’s very lovely. And a good mother. And actress! Go Michelle!
Bravo Michelle, bravo! Shade away and keep collecting all the awards, nominations, and success, while keeping your mothering private. Let the others drone on about organic lemon squares or whatever.
Love the hair cut!!!! She did that!
Eh, this didn’t read nasty to me, just seems like she was answering a question. Maybe I’m too naïve though.
I think that she actually IS too busy to be doing all that bullshit because she has a thriving career and she’s a single mom. She doesn’t have time to be one of these fashion model “actresses” who show up at the opening of an envelope because she’s too busy actually doing good work. Can we put a moratorium on the Goop talk? Bitch is insufferable and I’m sick of looking at her face that is the same shade as her hair.
Goop stopped being an a list in demand actress a long time ago like in the 90s.
She’s A-List?
Three Oscar nominations (two back to back) and a giant Disney movie? Ummm, yep!
She is most definitely, without a doubt, A-List. The definition of A-List, really.
Michelle Williams A List; I said the same thing but she’s getting close to it. Just because you have been nominated for Oscars don’t make you AList, it just makes you lucky to be nominated but the winners can hang onto AList status for some time.
Mickey Rourke, Laura Linney, Virginia Madsen, Marisa Tomei, Djimon Hounson (twice), Marcia Gay Harden have all been nominated for Oscars and they are no longer AList celebrities.
A lot of actors have been in large blockbusters as part of an assemble cast but that doesn’t make you AList because you’re in a big budget film. Oz was promoted as a Mila Kunis and James Franco movie.
But she is on my A+List if she inadvertently threw shade at the Goop.
Every time I see her and her new haircut, I will forever picture the hamster @ Dlisted.
Hair hamster! So cute.
A list?
She sounds like me I can only do one thing at a time. So I have my day job and trying to raise my family. I have co-workers who have kids too but you would never know it since they spend all of their time planning outings with each other or their stupid motercycle club. They asked me to go to a baseball game and I said if I didn’t have my daughter I would and one of them got insulted since she has a kid too. But I don’t care I have a heck of a commute and limited time withy little one
me too 🙂
I have quasi-demanding job where the company isn’t as demanding as the individuals I work for and that takes a lot out of me. I also have a VERY active child who is very demanding as well and truthfully I want to be there for him as much as I can because i knwo this time in his life where I am the center is fleeting. I use all my vaca and free time off to hang with him and do things that will matter to him when he is grown.
Everything else can wait! I have years ahead where he won’t need me and thats when I plan on getting really into a my cat hair art and wine/book clubs!
I f*cking love this girl and I love her new haircut.
+1
I f*cking agree!
I don’t think she was throwing shade so much as just being honest about her own life.
Most who do the celeb mom business don’t have much of an acting career left in Hollywood. I give someone like Jessica Alba, a terrible actress who finally stopped getting hired, credit for finding something else to do and not just turning to reality shows and clinging to fame, but there’s no comparison with the career Michelle has.
I think she looks like Miss Piggy and is missing a chin…. it distracts me from her acting
I think she looks like Miss P*ggy and is missing a chin…. it distracts me from her acting
Hate the hair but love her. I think she does a great job putting her child above all else and acting. I don’t think she is pretending to be an example for anyone else and I don’t think she has a phony bone in her body. Good for her I say. If you watch the old episodes of DC you can see that she was the most talented of the four main characters.
That’s because Michelle is still a very in demand A list actress! She doesn’t have time to write cook books and blog about being a mommy!
I love Michelle. I think she’s fantastic and a class act.
Her legs are amazing! She’s beautiful and unassuming; strange I guess I never noticed what a knockout figure she has though. Does anyone know how tall she is? She looks so petite.
Like what others have said, I think she’s talking about herself and not throwing shade. She probably doesn’t care about them, anyway.
Though didn’t she focus a lot on being a mom during her last Oscar campaign?
Yeah pretty much which is why I tend to roll my eyes whenever she says something because it tends to be incredibly pretentious. Like how she doesn’t care about the Hollywood life and if she weren’t an actress she’d be a laundress… er okay. You’re an actress its not like you’re doing anything important beyond entertainment.
And I agree with the other person success means different things for everyone. Hollywood doesn’t care for aging actresses all that much so if Alba or Paltrow find another avenue for their career good for them. Unless they join a show like the Real Hobags of (insert city) I don’t think they’re failures either.
I think she’s super talented, but not A-list. Not yet anyway.
Am I the only one that hates her hair like this? It looks so awful and whack, I wish she would style it differently– maybe wear it back? I don’t know.
On another note, I recently watched Take This Waltz. It reminds me so much of Goodbye Again (ft. Ingrid Bergman and Anthony Perkins), ending-wise (following your heart, but not fully happy in the end… always wondering if you should have decided differently). I really enjoyed it.
Success means different things for everyone. I don’t think nominations and awards are interesting. At all.
Unlike Goop and Alba her career is hot, so she doesn’t “side projects”. I bet you anything that Paltrow and Alba wish they were too busy for cooking classes.
I’m not convinced Michelle was throwing shade, but if she did, God bless her. What is it exactly that Paltrow and Alba do nowadays anyway? They don’t appear to take their acting careers too seriously. In fact, I’m sad to say I don’t much consider Gywneth an actress anymore. She’s become just another celeb hawking her latest ‘side project.’
Michelle’s one of my all time favs. Class, integrity, talent.
Some of these former actresses/mommy entrepreneurs make A LOT of money writing about their mothering for blogs and such. For most of them, it’s basically their only source of income.
“…but she’s too busy being an in-demand actress.”
HAHAHAHA- BURN!!!
love it;)
I don’t think she’s A list. A critical darling, yes but not someone studios would build a film around. Which is why she doesn’t have time for any side projects.
Granted, she probably makes more than I ever hope to but I doubt those indie films she’s always doing and those Dawson’s Creek residuals pay the big bucks so to maintain her nice upper class lifestyle she is accustomed to, she probably does have to work consistently, rather than “take breaks” after a 10 million dollar payout after each movie.
Michelle Williams is a class act. She won’t regret just working and mothering. That’s a full plate. I’m sure she’s great at raising darling Mathilda.