It wasn't a fairy tale. For Michelle Williams, cohabitating with Ryan Gosling while filming the 2010 dramatic feature "Blue Valentine" wasn't the idyllic experience it was made out to be. "We filmed the initial segment where they're young, in love, and everything is roses. Then, we took a two-week hiatus and lived together, like clockwork, 9 to 5—a professional setup," the 44-year-old actress revealed on Monday's edition of Dax Shepard's "Armchair Expert" podcast. "During the day, we indulged in improvisations, honestly seeking ways to irritate each other and dismantle the chemistry we'd crafted."
Derek Cianfrance, the film's director, would frequently drop by their shared abode with a "scenario," aiming to deepen the rift between Williams and Gosling. Williams reminisced about Cianfrance, 51, returning and saying, "After enduring a frustrating day, you'll now take your daughter to the amusement park and strive to enjoy yourselves." She chuckled, "It was a blast."
"Try pitching that to a producer," Williams joked about the liberty she and Gosling had to develop their characters and relationship. They even went to the extent of burning their on-screen wedding photos. "We discovered how to grate on each other's nerves. It was horrendous," recalled the star of "Dying for Sex." "I don't want to give you reasons to dislike me. We were having such an exhilarating time. But the party had to end too soon."
"You don't have to hate me; now I hate myself," she said, referring to how roles reversed during filming. "I'm irritating. We summoned our worst traits!"
"Blue Valentine" chronicles Cindy (Williams) and Dean (Gosling), a couple whose relationship deteriorates after falling in love in their 20s. Williams received an Oscar nod for Best Actress for her portrayal of Cindy but ultimately missed out to Natalie Portman in "Black Swan."
Meanwhile, Gosling candidly spoke about fully embodying his role while chatting with NPR. "Throughout the month, we worked to dismantle what we'd built," the "Barbie" actor told Dave Davies of "Fresh Air" in 2010. "Initially, we toiled to create the love story segment, capturing their falling in love. We wanted it to feel authentic and genuine. We spent all this time constructing it, and then we had to tear it down."
Addressing how realistic the actors became, Gosling confessed, "We also celebrated fake Christmases, adorned Christmas trees, baked birthday cakes, bought birthday presents, and shopped at Sears." "We fought all day and then had to take [their daughter] Faith to the family fun park...whatever we could do to forge real memories, so when it came time to shoot the film's climax, we could rely on genuine recollections."
For Gosling, making "Blue Valentine" was the first time he forgot he was creating art. "In most movies, you strive to forget you're making a film because of trailers, boom microphones, lights, and marks everywhere," Gosling said. "But here, you're trying to remember it's a movie because it's so easy to get lost in it."
The film was shrouded in controversy, initially receiving an NC-17 rating—a rating that baffled the Hollywood veteran. NC-17 signifies a film too mature for viewers under 17 and suitable only for adults. "I was utterly perplexed. It seems I don't comprehend this rating system," Gosling shared at the time. "I was informed it was because my character performs oral sex on his wife, and I thought, 'Numerous films show men receiving oral sex from women with an R rating.' It seemed like a double standard. Additionally, horror movies akin to torture porn are R-rated. What many don't understand about NC-17, which I didn't, is that you can't exhibit it in major theater chains—and you can't even advertise your film on TV. It truly stigmatizes the movie."
