Michelle Williams talks Ledger, new role

New York - Michelle Williams tells Vogue magazine that although life has settled since the death of her former fiancé, actor Heath Ledger, it's affected all facets of her life.

The 31-year-old actress says in the magazine's October issue that experiencing loss has changed her daily interactions, career and how she acts as a parent and friend.

She says she now looks at life from a "lens" where everything is "impermanent."

Ledger, 28, died in January 2008 after an accidental overdose of prescription drugs.

Marilyn

Williams plays another Hollywood star whose life was cut short, Marilyn Monroe, in the film, My Week with Marilyn. It's about a week of Monroe's life in 1956 while filming the movie The Prince and the Showgirl.

Williams says she tried to gain weight for the role to have some of Monroe's famous curves but it all went to her face. She opted instead to fill herself out with padding.

Williams says channelling Monroe made her feel "like being reborn."

The October issue of Vogue hits newsstands on September 20.