Actor Jeremy Strong helped care for the daughter of actor Michelle Williams and the late Heath Ledger following Ledger’s death, Williams told Variety.
The “Succession” actor, Williams said, moved into her home following the tragedy to accompany her, her friend and her sister. Strong would play games and went as far as acting as a “pony” for Ledger’s daughter, Matilda, Variety reported.
“Jeremy was serious enough to hold the weight of a child’s broken heart and sensitive enough to understand how to approach her through play and games and silliness,” Williams told Variety.
“[Matilda] didn’t grow up with her father, but she grew up with her Jeremy and we were changed by his ability to play as though his life depended upon it, because hers did.”
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Matilda, 16, was Williams’ first and only child with Ledger, who died in 2008.
Williams has since started a family with director Thomas Kail, who shares a 2-year-old son, Hart, with her. She is expecting a second child with the director, according to Variety.
Williams called the upcoming addition to her family “totally joyous.”
“It’s exciting to discover that something you want again and again is available one more time,” she told the magazine.
“That good fortune is not lost on me or my family.”