Michelle Williams does Vogue

Michelle Williams looks radiant on the cover of Vogue's October issue. The stunning and talented 29 year old actress opens up about how she has coped since the death of Heath Ledger, father to her 3 year old daughter Matilda, and the constant struggle she has as a single parent under the never ending glare of the paparazzi spotlight. Can I start by saying how fricking gorgeous she looks in these photos. Her pixie haircut looks gorgeous,, and I love the styling and costumes in these shots.

I have been a fan of Michelle since her days as the troubled Jen on Dawson's Creek, and absolutely loved her in last year's critically acclaimed Wendy & Lucy. She is a phenomenally talented actress next appearing in Martin Scorsese's much anticipated Shutter Island, where she plays a ghost opposite Leonardo DiCaprico. Due to the understandable fascination with Heath and her relationship with him, Michelle has been extremely reluctant to do any press, even promoting of her movies for fear of being asked about what happened between her and Ledger when they separated prior to his tragic death in January 2008.

She speaks of the difficulties of grieving in the public eye and explaining to her young daughter why people are so interested in their lives. After an encounter with a child in their neighbourhood coffee shop, who asked Matilda what it was like to be famous and whether she was sad that her father died, Michelle had to explain to her daughter "It's because people really loved your daddy that they want to take your picture; to know you're all right" No child or parent should have to go through that. It is hard enough to mourn someone you love, but to do it under the watchful eye of the press and public must be excruciating. I am not surprised that Williams is so hesitant to do interviews.

Michelle is fiercely private and protective of her daughter, dividing her time between Brooklyn and an undisclosed location in upstate New York. The paparazzi shots I have seen of her and Matilda lead me to believe that Matilda is a happy, well loved child. In the article, Michelle also confirms that her relationship with director Spike Jonze has ended: "The timing was impossible. I thought falling in love again was the only thing that was going to save me from the pain. This erroneous idea: It just makes things more complicated." And dating with a kid? "I obviously don't know how to do it."

Michelle seems content to be focusing on her relationship with her daughter rather than any romantic entanglements. But then again, she is very guarded in all interviews, so if she was dating someone, it is not like she would tell the interviewer right? She filmed a movie with Ryan Gosling recently - could you imagine the magnificence of them together? That would be pretty rad. I am pretty sure it's never gonna happen, but a girl can dream right?

Check out the full interview in October's Vogue. Shutter Island hits theatre's in February 2010.

XO