Michelle Williams reflects on Heath Ledger’s “incredible sensitivity” and says she's grateful for their daughter Matilda

American actress Michelle Williams recently spoke about Heath Ledger on the Armchair Expert podcast. The five-time Academy Awards nominee remembers her time with the late actor, whom she started dating in 2004. 44-year-old Michelle Williams and the podcast host, Dax Shepard, discussed their experiences with Heath before his passing.

“I don't know if you feel comfortable talking about Heath, but I feel obligated to say that I knew him a little bit when he was getting sober, and I don’t know that I’ve ever fallen in love with somebody so quickly,” Dax stated.

“This is one of the most special boys I’ve ever met, and I can feel the weight of the world on him in a very special way that kind of broke my heart. I was very, very sad, and I thought he was just so special,” he added.

“So special, so special. Thank God there’s Matilda,” Michelle Williams agreed.

Michelle and Heath met on the set of Brokeback Mountain and began dating soon after. They welcomed their daughter Matilda, now 19, in 2005.

Dax Shepherd continued, saying he was so lucky to have met Heath Ledger because he had only met a handful of people with big hearts like him.

“Oh wow, there's something…there’s just a heart here that's just leaking out everywhere,” he said.

“Yeah, an incredible sensitivity,” Michelle Williams added.

Heath Ledger died on January 22, 2008, from an accidental drug overdose three months after he and Michelle split.

More details on Michelle Williams’ appearance on the Armchair Expert podcast

Michelle Williams was featured on the Monday, May 19, 2025, episode of the Armchair Expert podcast with Dax Shepard. The episode was released on YouTube and has generated over 14,000 views in the few hours since its release. In addition to talking about the late actor Heath Ledger, Michelle also talks about her friendship with Busy Phillipps for over 25 years.

“And then Busy joined the show, I don't know, how old were we? 18 or something? I can't really remember, but we've been best friends ever since. So that was the end of anything that I might have experienced as loneliness,” Williams said.

“We are like the odd couple,” she adds. “We are like those two things shouldn't go together, and yet they do!”

Towards the end of the podcast, Michelle also talks about motherhood and how she makes it work.

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“Kids are such great life checkers. They force you to put your best self in front of them and you can't abdicate your life and your work and your own desires, but you do to put them in check and figure out which master you're going to serve,” the Greatest Showman actress said.

“Because the truth is if work is going well, somebody else is taking care of your kids, and if you are at a high point with your kids, your work is shoved to the side,” she added. “So you can't be equally good at them at the exact same time.”

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Michelle Williams is well known for her roles in Venom: Let There Be Carnage, The Station Agent, Brokeback Mountain, Shutter Island, Wendy and Lucy, and Oz the Great and Powerful. Interested individuals can watch the full podcast on YouTube.

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