Sony Pictures has seen its ups and downs while building its universe centered around Spider-Man characters, which started with Tom Hardy's Venom in 2018. Behind Hardy and co-star Michelle Williams, that film surprised many at the box office with more than $850 million in revenue before the sequel, Venom: Let There Be Carnage, earned the biggest opening weekend of 2021 outside of Spider-Man: No Way Home.
Williams' role helped to ground Hardy's Eddie Brock as he tried to push the limits with his career as a reporter, and even when he joined forces with Venom, she was there making sure that he was alright. She even got the chance to experience some of the symbiotic madness herself in both movies as Venom took over her own body, allowing her to take on some of the superhero action that these movies had to offer.
Both Venom movies were also different kinds of projects for Williams, having earned four Academy Award nominations along with two wins at the Golden Globes over the past decade. Although, recently, she explained how she found a way to improve her craft as an actress by playing her role in Sony's Marvel movies.
Michelle Williams' Growth Through Sony's Venom
Speaking with Variety, Venom and Venom: Let There Be Carnage star Michelle Williams shared how her time in those movies helped her grow as a performer.
Noting the scenes where Venom took over her body as being quite difficult to do, she shared that she wants to "keep growing" with her craft and said that those movies were "an important step in (her) growth:"
“Pretending that a monster is getting into your body and then taking over and leaving your body, that’s hard. I want to keep growing, and ‘Venom’ is an important step in my growth.”
Venom Presenting New Challenges for Williams
Sony Pictures hasn't gotten the most praise for its Spider-Man universe movies, largely due to them missing the nuance and detailed storytelling that other franchises like the MCU have brought to the table. Even so, that doesn't mean that it didn't come with its own challenges from an acting perspective, particularly for someone like actress Michelle Williams in an important supporting role.
In both Venom films, her character, Annie, had to serve as a host for Venom during some difficult moments in the ever-complicated Eddie/Venom relationship. This let the actress tap into a different kind of acting that she hadn't really had to explore through other projects in her career, and even though it was only for a few minutes on screen, it pushed her to new limits in the superhero movie genre.
Now, Williams waits to find out if she will return once again for the recently confirmed Venom 3, which is in the early stages of development under Sony Pictures. If her role this time around is anything like the first two films, fans can expect to see some more wild action from her character and Venom as the two learn how to work with Eddie, particularly after his quick trip to Mexico in the MCU.
