Michelle Williams says Jeremy Strong helped heal daughter Matilda’s broken heart after Heath Ledger died

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Michelle Williams has spoken out about her friendship with Jeremy Strong and his support in the time after Heath Ledger died.

The Dark Knight actor accidentally and fatally overdosed on prescription drugs in January 2008.

Although Williams and Ledger were no longer in a romantic relationship at the time of his death, the pair shared parental duties of their then two-year-old daughter Matilda.

In a new interview, the Fosse/Verdon star opened up about how family and friends, including Strong, rallied around her to help after Ledger died.

Strong moved into Williams’ home, along with her sister and another friend. During his time there, he would allow toddler Matilda to ride on his back, pretending that he was a pony, for hours.

“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.”

Elsewhere in the conversation, Williams praised her friend’s acting abilities in response to a New Yorker profile from December that depicted Strong as “intense”.

“We’ve all been in awe of his talent,” Williams noted. “We’ve watched him work harder than anyone and wait a long time for other people to recognise it. So when he became so celebrated, we all celebrated.”