Michelle Williams‘ work as the audiobook narrator of Britney Spears‘ best-selling memoir, The Woman in Me, is one of her top performances. The Oscar-nominated actress hasn’t discussed the project, but her BFF Busy Philipps has confirmed that Williams “felt a connection” when approached about the project.
“We lost it,” Philipps recounted during an appearance on Watch What Happens Live. “She was like, ‘I have to do this, right?’ I was like, ‘Yes! Obviously!’ And she’s like, ‘I really do, Biz.’ She really felt a connection.”
Philips, who released her own memoir This Will Only Hurt a Little in 2018 continued, “We all — and Michelle, even younger than me — we all came up in a very particular time in this industry, that was what the majority of my memoir is about, as young women, and we were subjected to a lot. I think that there was a lot that was, sadly, very relatable to all women in Britney’s book. But I thought that Michelle doing it was just incredible and really beautiful. Britney deserves our respect.”
Williams was announced as the narrator of The Woman in Me in October. At the time, the actress released only a short statement: “I stand with Britney.” The audiobook features Spears reading the introduction, but Williams reads the rest of the chapters, including one where she mimics Justin Timberlake talking to Ginuwine.
In the now-viral moment, Williams reads the line “Oh yeah, fo’ shiz, fo’ shiz. Ginuwine! What’s up, homie?” in Timberlake’s voice and it is truly incredible.
Philipps and Williams have been longtime friends since meeting on the set of Dawson’s Creek. Philipps often accompanies Williams to awards shows, including to the 2017 Oscars when the pair were memorably photographed reacting to the wrong Best Picture being announced from the front row. Philipps previously discussed Williams working on The Woman in Me on her podcast, Busy Philipps is Doing Her Best.