It’s hard to believe it’s been 15 years since Michelle Williams earned her Oscar nomination for the film Blue Valentine.
The movie, known for its raw and emotional portrayal of a young couple’s rocky relationship, holds a special — and sometimes difficult — place in Williams’ heart.
Recently, she opened up about a particularly intense experience during filming: living with her co-star Ryan Gosling to fully dive into their characters’ complicated marriage.
Immersing Into Characters by Living Together
Blue Valentine was written and directed by Derek Cianfrance, who pushed the actors to go beyond traditional methods to capture the authenticity of their roles.
To bring Dean and Cindy’s relationship to life — from passionate beginnings to painful dissolution — Michelle and Ryan agreed to live together for a short period.
But this wasn’t a romantic setup; it was all part of their work.
Michelle explained on Dax Shepard’s Armchair Expert podcast that they treated it like “office hours” from nine to five, focused on creating tension rather than comfort.
The idea was to “destroy” the loving bond they had carefully built during the earlier part of filming.
Breaking Down the Relationship on Purpose
The filming was split into two halves: one showing the couple in the happy early days, and the other exploring their breakdown.
Between these halves, they took a two-week break to live together — but in a professional way.
Michelle described the process as “horrible” because it involved deliberately finding ways to annoy each other and dismantle the connection they’d created.
She recalled how director Derek Cianfrance encouraged them to “burn it down,” leading to a unique ceremony where they actually burned a wedding photo to symbolize the destruction of their on-screen relationship.
Facing the Emotional Toll of the Role
When asked if it was tough to do that with someone she’d only known for a few months, Michelle didn’t shy away from admitting it was hard.
The experience brought a major shift in their dynamic and wasn’t always easy to shake off after filming.
Back then, Michelle was just a year past the tragic loss of her partner Heath Ledger, which made the emotional intensity of the role even more challenging.
She admitted that during the shoot, it was difficult to leave those feelings on set.
Learning to Leave Work at Work
Now at 44, Michelle says she’s better at compartmentalizing.
She can feel the weight of a tough day of acting, but she knows she can “close the door” on it when she goes home.
That boundary didn’t come easily in her younger years, when emotions from the role would linger and seep into her personal life.
Behind the Scenes of Blue Valentine
While Michelle didn’t specify exactly where she and Ryan stayed during their living-together period, the film was shot in Brooklyn, New York, and Honesdale, Pennsylvania.
Released in December 2010, Blue Valentine made a splash on the festival circuit, premiering at Sundance and showing at Cannes and Toronto.
Despite critical acclaim, the film initially received an NC-17 rating because of an explicit scene between the leads.
Ryan Gosling publicly criticized the rating board for what he called a “sexist” decision, and eventually, the film was re-rated to R.
Recognition and Awards
Michelle’s portrayal of Cindy earned her a Best Actress Oscar nomination, though the award went to Natalie Portman for Black Swan.
Both she and Ryan also received Golden Globe nominations for their powerful performances in the film.