Michelle Williams had a special connection to her settler character in 'Meek's Cutoff' - the actress' ancestor also travelled across America in a covered wagon.
- April 27, 2011
AceShowbiz - Michelle Williams plays a woman who braves harsh conditions in the Oregon desert in the outlaw western film, "Meek's Cutoff" which takes place in 1845.
And after wrapping the shoot, Williams was stunned to learn that her own great-great grandmother made a similar journey across the U.S. after emigrating from Norway.
She tells Interview magazine, "I was talking to my grandma on the phone maybe a month ago, and she said, 'Did you ever hear this story about Inge? Inge Jacobin?' I said, 'No, but it's a great name, Inge Jacobin. Tell me about Inge Jacobin.'"
"Inge Jacobin would be my great, great grandmother, I think, and she was a stowaway. At 15 years old, she got on a boat from Norway, made it to Ellis Island, and then hopped on a covered wagon, and that's how they got to Montana. I found that out after I made Meek's... Some part of me has done this journey before."
The "Brokeback Mountain" star is convinced she shares that same rebellious streak after leaving home when she was 15 to follow her acting dreams.
She adds, "It gave me so much comfort (to be independent). Why did I have that urge? I think it was Inge Jacobin's bones kicking around in me."
