Michelle Williams sparked concern from fans that her Dawson’s Creek co-star Mary Beth Peil had actually died.
The Greatest Showman actress was giving an emotional speech in tribute to Mary at the Gotham Awards on Monday.
Michelle, 42, played Jen Lindley in the popular show between 1998 and 2003, alongside 82-year-old Mary who played Jen’s ‘grams’, Evelyn Reid.
However, Mary was unable to attend the ceremony, with Micelle saying that though she may not be in the room, ‘she’s in my heart’.
She said: ‘I was an emancipated minor when we met, I was 16-years-old and I was totally alone, Mary Beth Peil was the first artist that I’d ever met in my life.’
Michelle continued: ‘There was something different about her, it was the way that she asked questions, the way that she leaned into conversations and how excited she seemed for every moment of every day on our TV set.’
‘She lived an artist’s life, she was brimming and bursting with energy and she showed me that creativity was more than a mere profession,’ she added.
The heartfelt speech stunned fans, with many panicked that it had been said in tribute to Mary as she had died.
However, the actress is currently appearing in show A Man Of No Importance, starring The Big Bang Theory’s Jim Parsons.
‘This is a beautiful eulogy for someone who is absolutely still alive and currently in a play,’ one person wrote.
Another penned: ‘OMG I love MBP, and I checked on her so fast.’
‘It is a great speech, but made me freak out for a second, as I was pretty sure I didn’t hear about Mary Beth Peil passing away, but I guess she just meant she literally physically couldn’t be there,’ someone else commented.
Another person wrote: ‘No-one would possibly come away from this speech thinking Mary Beth Peil is still alive (she is lmao).’
