Michelle Williams Loves Awards Season Because She Gets to Spend Time With BFF Busy Philipps

The New York Film Critics Circle Awards was held on a very rainy Tuesday night at Tao Downtown in Manhattan. The annual starry gala, known as the unofficial kickoff to awards season, serves as something of a harbinger of those who can be expected to take home major gold on Oscar night.

So who’s going home with the gold in February? Based on NYFC’s pick, La La Land is a shoo-in. The whimsical, dreamy, and tragicomic movie was honored as the best film of the year.

Best actor went to Casey Affleck for his role in Manchester by the Sea, the gut-wrenching family tale of love and loss. But in his speech, Affleck showcased his lighter side, reading bad reviews of his “annoying” self, even pointing to one critique mocking his speech patterns. Mahershala Ali, of Moonlight, was hailed as best supporting actor.

Best actress honors went to Isabelle Huppert.

“When I knew that I was rewarded for two French-speaking films… oh, my God. It’s amazing,” Huppert, who stars in Elle and Things to Come, tells Yahoo Style. “I looked, I searched, this is Dior. So, someone did help me. I’m getting used to [red carpets], but it took me a lot of time.”

Huppert might’ve looked resplendently minimalist in her attire, but if there was an award for most charming acceptance speech, it would go to Michelle Williams, who was named best supporting actress for Manchester and Certain Women.

The star, clad in Louis Vuitton, said she’d called up her publicist before the event to make sure she had to verbally address an audience. “I’m not good at this,” she admitted, before adding that “this really does mean a lot to me because of where we are. I’m raising a child here. This is the anywhere I wanted to make it.”

Before the dinner, Williams was affable and charming. As she explains to Yahoo Style, her fashion rule of thumb is simple. “This is boring, but I like to be comfortable.” What makes that feasible? BFF Busy Philipps of course. “It’s the only time I get to see my best friend. Seriously. ‘Busy, can you get a babysitter for the SAG Awards?'” says Williams. Meanwhile, like any working mom, she doesn’t have much time to watch lengthy dramas. “I’ve seen Zootopia 50 times. I really need to see some movies,” she says.

Speaking of the Disney hit and best animated film, co-director Rich Moore teased a sequel when asked if it’s possible. “Maybe. Maybe. I would love to,” says Moore. “It’s such a great film. We have 85-90 minutes to tell a story.”

What about a breakout film starring the sloths working at the DMV? “It would be about five hours long,” says Moore. “Maybe we’d do it in three parts.”

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