As I mentioned yesterday, Michelle Williams is the February cover girl for Marie Claire. The above photo is an interesting one from the photo shoot – Michelle has nice legs, doesn’t she? Too bad she usually covers them up in matronly cream of wheat gowns and little-girl dresses. In the previous excerpts from Marie Claire, we heard a little bit about how Reese Witherspoon basically told Michelle to stop whining. Now Marie Claire has released more of the interview (here), and while there are no more details about that Reese stuff, Michelle does spend much of the interview talking about Heath Ledger and her daughter

On why she gives bad interviews: “An interview is like a minefield,” Williams says, rubbing her eyes wearily. “These are all the questions I’m asking myself, and some things are just too personal. It’s funny how little lines get drawn and something just rubs a little too raw. I find it hard to know exactly what to say; I’ve gotten a pretty secure footing, but I feel like I don’t have all the answers yet.”

Filling the void: “Very obviously, for me and for her, there’s a hole in our life.” Williams says. “Of course the natural inclination is to want to fill it and make it disappear, but what I’ve come to recently is that it’s impossible. Nothing will fit in that hole because what we want back we can’t get, which is this one person. I’m not going to rush anything and scamper around like a mad person and make myself crazy. I’m trying to be respectful of the absence. I’m not trying to fill it up. It is what it is.”

On the rumor that she and Ryan Gosling are dating: With a rueful smile, Williams shakes her head. “My poor mom really wants me to meet someone. I think she wanted to believe the Ryan Gosling rumor more than anybody,” she says.

On not knowing what she wants out of a relationship: “I don’t know what my version of a relationship or marriage is yet, because the typical model seems a little broken to me,” she admits. “At the same time, I was raised on all those princess fairy tales and I’m a romantic; I want to be a one-man girl. I took Matilda to Disney World recently and we saw all the princesses, and then she turned around and said, ‘OK, now I’d like to see where all the princes are.’ The Disney person said, ‘Nobody has ever asked me that before. There aren’t any princes here, honey.’” Williams sighs. “The idea that you can get everything you want in one person is destructive, and maybe when you accept that the number is closer to 50 or 60 or 70 percent, that’s when you can start to make some progress in choosing the right person. I don’t want to make a mistake that big, and that saddens me, because it’s harder to let yourself go. I can inflict any kind of injury on myself, but with my daughter, that’s not an option.”

On going back to work after Heath‘s death: “I didn’t work for a year. I needed to gather myself and put my life back together. I had to be dragged back to work, basically, because I finally had my life in some kind of order, and I didn’t know what would happen if I introduced work into it. I had forgotten that it was worth it.” That discovery has been crucial. “With the last three movies I’ve made, I’ve had the feeling of working at the edge of my abilities,” Williams says. “That’s an exhilarating and terrifying place to live, and I don’t go there easily. It has its rewards, but it’s not a dinner party. I’m constantly pushed up against the wall of what I’m capable of doing, and that can be an excruciating place to confront yourself. But I don’t want to lose sight of the fact that work gives you a good feeling about yourself. My work has seen me through a lot of situations, and if not for work, I would have stayed stuck in the experience. I’ve had something outside of myself to attend to, and it’s carried me through. It’s been invaluable, and I want to pass on that lesson to my daughter.”

[From Marie Claire]

I have to admit, I like how well-spoken Michelle is here. She seems very thoughtful and not as… I don’t know… “wispy” as she usually does. She seems stronger. Good for her.

Lastly… Michelle was at the National Board of Review Awards last night (photo below). She wore this black lace Oscar de la Renta… which I don’t like on her. The fit is off, the Mia Farrow hair isn’t good for the dress, and the skirt is too much for Michelle’s frame. That being said, it’s nice to see her showing some skin up top. She usually is covered up completely.

Marie Claire photos courtesy of Marie Claire. Additional pic courtesy of WENN.