Busy Philipps, who was diagnosed with a rare brain tumor, opened up about how Michelle Williams supported her during the difficult time. The former Dawson’s Creek co-star also honored her by dedicating part of her Actors Awards speech to Philipps on the eve of her surgery.
Michelle Williams honored Busy Philipps one night before her brain tumor surgery
Speaking to People in a recent interview, the 47-year-old Cougar Town star shared, “Michelle won the SAG Award the night before my surgery, and she said this really sweet thing to me. The serendipity and irony [were] not lost on either one of us that she was winning the award for playing a woman who died of cancer, and her story with her best friend. We were sort of just like, ‘How is this life?’ This is a crazy story.”
Williams honored her longtime friendship with Philipps during her Actor Awards acceptance speech in March. She won the award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Television Movie or Limited Series for her role in Dying for Sex. The dramedy follows a woman with cancer as she explores her sexual fantasies. Williams played Molly, while Jenny Slate portrayed her best friend, Nikki. Williams wrapped up her speech with a sweet tribute to Philipps. She said, “To the Nikki to my Molly. Busy, I love you.”
Philipps learned about her brain tumor after having a Prenuvo scan on February 12. The timing was especially emotional for the actress, as her friend and former Dawson’s Creek co-star James Van Der Beek had died from colon cancer the previous day. The actress underwent a five-hour brain surgery on March 2. “There’s no other treatment necessary. I’m kinda, like, good to go,” she told the outlet.
Williams, a five-time Oscar nominee, was one of the first people Philipps confided in about her health. She also looked after Philipps after her surgery. “Michelle had set up some food situation that was delicious. [She] was over a lot. I had friends coming by all the time.”
Williams and Philipps have maintained a close friendship spanning decades. Their bond began when they met on the set of Dawson’s Creek in the early 2000s. Philipps detailed her first meeting with Williams in her 2018 memoir, This Will Only Hurt a Little. She wrote, as quoted by Vogue, “She was tiny and adorable, her perfect face makeup-free. She was carrying Fig Newtons and water. She asked if I wanted one, and we walked over to her room and sat in the rocking chairs so I could smoke. We started talking about bands we liked and books we were reading. I liked her immediately. “
