The actress opens up about supporting her best friend following the death of her ex-boyfriend.
Busy Philipps and Michelle Williams are best friends, and occasionally the Vice Principals star shares special moments with the Oscar winner on her social media.
While fans love to see the two actresses together, Philipps has received negative comments claiming she's using her friend's grief to her advantage. On the 10th anniversary of Heath Ledger's death -- Williams' former boyfriend and father of her 12-year-old daughter, Matilda -- Philipps posted a somber picture of Williams with her eyes closed and resting her head on Philipps.
“I think some people felt like I was being exploitative,” Philipps expresses in a new interview with The Cut. “I’ve never even really spoken about [Ledger’s death], because I never would want to have it be misconstrued in that way, but it was the 10-year anniversary, and…It’s just been a long 10 years, you know?”
"That anniversary, just brought up a lot of … I can’t believe it’s been 10 years," she says tearfully. "I was pregnant with Birdie. I had seen him a couple months earlier, and you know, [Williams and Ledger] were broken up. I’ve never talked about it. I’ve never shared it, because I’m hyper protective of [Williams] and her daughter. But I also think … I think it’s OK. Everyone’s allowed to have their own feelings about something that happens."
Philipps continues by explaining how the actor was such a beloved figure that "certain people in the public feel protective of it. And they’re like, ‘You shouldn’t be talking about it.’” But Williams is her dearest friend and "my family," she adds, "And if I want to talk about it, and I never have really done it before, and this, like, the anniversary, I really felt like … [it's OK.]"
As for The Greatest Showman star, Williams says she doesn’t look at what Philipps posts on Instagram. “I trust her judgment implicitly,” she states. Meanwhile, the two best friends were recently on the cover of Entertainment Weekly together to commemorate Dawson's Creek's 20th anniversary.
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