Michelle Williams is finding ways to honour ex Heath Ledger over a decade after his passing. According to Entertainment Weekly, director Bradley Gray recently shared that his new movie Blood, was inspired by his friend Williams and her personal experience grieving the 2008 death of Ledger. Gray told the outlet that Williams was originally set to star in the film herself, but later decided that she didn't feel comfortable revisiting such a personal story and stepped down instead. "We both shared this weight, of death, and the feeling that you always carry that weight when somebody close to you dies," Gray said in a statement. "When we were getting ready to shoot the film, she realised it was all a little too close for her still, and she politely bowed out." Actress Carla Juri was ultimately cast in the lead role of Chloe, which sees the character travel to Japan following the death of her husband. Williams and Ledger first met on the set of 2004's Brokeback Mountain and dated for three years before his passing.