No Michelle Williams didn’t show up. Obviously, she doesn’t do a lot of press, but her devastatingly quiet and internalized performance in Kelly Reichardt’s minimalist new effort, “Wendy & Lucy,” is one to watch (and has already generated some Oscar talk). If Reichardt’s previous film, “Old Joy” seem low-budgeted and small, then ‘Wendy’ is micro-budgeted, infinitesimal and completely hushed. About a girl in the throes of abject poverty who’s lost her dog Lucy, Williams commanding yet reserved performance carries the film on her shoulders entirely and she’s onscreen in practically every frame. It’s a naked accomplishment and in the Q&A Reichardt described Williams process to the best of her ability, but sometimes not at all as Williams was sometimes reserved about it. The director notes that Williams sometimes would go off to make a phonecall, come back and been laser-ready for the scene. She wasn’t sure what she was doing to prepare, but she’d nail the scene regardless. Shot in Portland, Oregon, “Wendy & Lucy” was executive-produced by Todd Haynes (a Portland transplant), and he seemed to be a good cheerleader and a strong advocate for the Pacific Northwest (Reichardt tried to scout many different locales before returning to Oregon). In the video she also talks about the sparseness of the film, both on screen and of the crew she worked with.
Kelly Reichardt On Michelle Williams’ experience on “Wendy & Lucy”
Kelly Reichardt Talks the film screened for Williams Before making “Wendy & Lucy”
