Confirmed! Michelle Williams to Star in Janis Joplin Biopic

According to E! News, Oscar-nominated actress Michelle Williams has confirmed that she will play Janis Joplin in an upcoming biopic about the late music icon. It was reported last month that she was in talks for the project. E! NEWS chatted with Williams yesterday while she was promoting her new award season favorite "Manchester By the Sea."

"I figure there's one good day in the life of an actor, which is when you get the job," she said when I asked if the Joplin film was happening. "Before you get the job, you're like, 'Come on! I'm begging. I'm dying for this. I gotta have it! Please, I'll do anything. I promise...Take me! Take me!'"

She continued, "You get the job and you're like, 'I got it! I'm so excited! I can't believe I have this opportunity. I can't believe I'm going to get to do this.' And then you start worrying the next day. I'm in the worrying-the-next-day phase."

Janis, directed by Sean Durkin, is based onLove, Janis, a book by the singer's sister Laura Joplin.
The rocker died in 1970 when she was just 27 from a heroin overdose.

In Manchester By the Sea, Williams plays a woman who faces her tragic past when her ex-husband (Casey Affleck) returns to their Boston-area hometown to take care of his nephew (Lucas Hedges) after his brother (Kyle Chandler) dies.

Williams' Boston accent is spot-on. She prepared by spending a lot of time in and around the Massachusetts capital. "I talked to people, I went up to people," Williams explained. "I overcame my natural shyness and said, 'Hi, I'm working on a movie. Would you mind talking into a tape recorder for me?' or 'Hi, can we have a conversation so I can just listen to you? Hi, would you mind if I came over for breakfast in the morning, so I could meet your friend, who is a mother and has four children?'"

Manchester By the Sea is in theaters on Nov. 18. Williams recently received a Tony nomination for her role as Una in BLACKBIRD. She made her Broadway debut as Sally Bowles in CABARET in 2014.

Photo Credit: Walter McBride / WM Photos

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