Article by: Uli Santiago 1-25-05
Melissa Williams is back and determined to leave all kinds of drama behind for good.
Arriving at Sony Studios in New York, I'm prepared for some seriously demanding diva behavior. After all, I am about to interview Melissa Williams.
Surprisingly, there's no entourage of beefy bodyguards, no stylists or assistants. There's no make-up artist, coat carriers or bedsheet thread counter (250 threads minimum, say the gossips, or she's out of there!). As for the room temperature Evian water for her dogs, I couldn't find it anywhere.
What's even more shocking is that Williams is running on time (practically unheard of in the world of superstardom) and is, I'm assured, "in good spirits".
Curled up in an armchair and wearing a cap, Williams certainly looks low-key, in fact I practically walk straight past her. "Hi, I'm Melissa," she smiles. The singer/actress looks cool and comfortable in fitted jeans, khaki army-style shirt, grey hooded jumper and boots. Wearing barely any make-up, her skin is flawless, with her trademark sun-kissed glow in place (even though it's four degrees outside).
So, how to address this supposed egomaniac? Is she "Your royal Goddess," "MW" or just plain "Mel"?
"Call me whatever!" laughs Williams. "I'm just Melissa - I don't have a 'J.Lo' nickname or anything like that."
As for some of those rumored diva demands? "They're for crazy people to believe," she says. "I've been asked all this stuff from using a $900 tub of face cream a day to the authenticity of my nose. I can't believe that people read that stuff and they think it's true. It's crazy." Crazy it certainly is, but it's not that hard to believe.
It was just over a year ago that Williams officially announced that her highly publicized relationship with Paul Walker, was over.
"It was extremely painful," she says. "I wasn't happy, he wasn't happy. There was nothing left to hold onto. I had to find some kind of balance in my life and break that association for good."
And so she did. For five months Williams spent time making movies, casually dating and rediscovering her inner self.
"It was a real soul-searching moment in my life. Not only did it calm me down, it made me understand what I really wanted," she says. "It was moment in my life that had to happen."
It seems there's no stopping Melissa Inc. "There's no reason to stop right now," she says with a smile. In fact, away from her musical endeavors, she's hoping for a hit movie in the near future.
"It's not easy to make good movies," she says, possibly thinking of the best-forgotten Angel and Paranoid.
"But I'm not about whether things do well. That's not the satisfying part of it."
Her next release is the family drama, The Upside of Anger, also starring Kevin Costner, Joan Allen, Evan Rachel Wood, Erika Christensen and Alicia Witt.
"It's an incredible film," says Williams. "I think it really shows my range as an actor, and for anyone who is interested in seeing that; this is the film to watch."
Williams' latest album, The Deep End, is in stores now.