Great Performances

A king and a terrorist. A tattooed hacker and a crazy mama. They may lose an arm or a spouse, become a billionaire or a vigilante, but the actors we celebrate here are sorcerers who, by pouring self into story, created indelible characters worth admiring or reviling — and always worth treasuring

Great Performances 2011

Michelle Williams

By Richard Corliss and Mary PolsThursday, Feb. 10, 2011
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Peter Hapak for TIME

Blue Valentine

Williams, 30, won raves for her performance as one half of an unraveling young couple. Does she count it among the best of the year? "No," she says after a pause, "but I appreciate you feeling that way." For her, the investigation of a character's mysteries is never complete. "I'll have moments of deep connectedness, but I've never thought, Gotcha." So don't expect her to rest on her laurels. "Maybe if I ever thought I had done something great," she muses, "then I would be done."











See Michelle Williams talk about her favorite performances:

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