Michelle Williams October Vogue Cover Marilyn Monroe

The famously press-shy (with good reason, granted) My Week With Marilyn Star sat down with Vogue to discuss how she came to heal in the aftermath of her loss, how she feels about reentering the dating scene, her lack of privacy and what she most wants to provide for her daughter Matilda. She admitted that she grew up with pictures of Monroe on her bedroom wall.

Williams reveals she was incredibly daunted by playing such an iconic figure in the film, which centers around Monroe’s time shooting The Prince and the Showgirl, but says, “As soon as I finished the script, I knew that I wanted to do it.” Michelle is featured on the October cover of Vogue, styled as Marilyn Monroe.

She plays the fifties pinup in her new movie, My Week With Marilyn, which focuses on the time the star spent being shown around London by British filmmaker Colin Clark. The private star also opens up about how she and her six-year-old daughter Matilda slowly overcame the grief of Heath Ledger’s death, saying, “Three years ago, it felt like we didn’t have anything, and now my life — our life — has kind of repaired itself.”

Michelle said she initially didn't want to play the role, saying it was too daunting and after reading the script, spent six months trying to talk herself out of it.