Michelle Williams, like her character Jennifer Lindley on DAWSON'S CREEK, is making the transition from big city to small town life. The 17-year-old actress moved from Los Angeles to Wilmington, North Carolina, the production location for the series. As Williams recounts, "It's quite a change from Los Angeles. It's beautiful and a nice pace for awhile, but at first it was a strange switch from the city and traffic. Having the experience of moving from a big city to a small town does make it easier to relate to Jen, however."
Williams explains that her character "is an outsider coming to Capeside from a fast-paced New York lifestyle. Ostensibly she's come to help her strict grandmother care for her seriously ailing grandfather, but she's hiding a troubled past. More sophisticated and worldly than the other three teen characters, she's an old soul, having done a lot and grown up fast. I think a part of Jen is really looking to regain her innocence and lead the quintessential teenage life, and she wants to fit in with these more carefree kids. But there's another part of her that still longs for the city lights, taxi rides, bars and clubs. She made some mistakes, and got sent to Capeside by her parents in hopes that she'd begin to realize she should slow down and change her ways."
While Williams may be a bit homesick for big city life herself, she is no stranger to the country, having grown up in an idyllic spot in Montana. After her family moved to San Diego, she took advantage of the proximity of Hollywood to explore an acting career, which quickly took off. At 16, after obtaining an accelerated high-school degree, she moved to Los Angeles full time to pursue her craft. Most recently, she portrayed Michelle Pfeiffer's daughter in Propaganda Films' A THOUSAND ACRES, starring Jessica Lange, Michelle Pfeiffer and Jason Robards. Williams has also appeared in numerous theater productions. On television, she has won guest appearances on series including STEP BY STEP and HOME IMPROVEMENT, as well as roles in the television movies A MOTHER'S JUSTICE and KILLING MR. GRIFFIN. Her additional feature film credits include SPECIES, LASSIE and TIME MASTER.
While living in Wilmington to shoot DAWSON'S CREEK, Williams enjoys reading as many books as she can in her spare time.
The Cast
Katie Holmes
James Van Der Beek
Joshua Jackson
Michelle Williams
