Michelle Williams (actress) to the comedic genre with "The Baxter", in which she played a geeky secretary. The film received negative reviews; Wesley Morris of "The Boston Globe" wrote, "Only when Williams is around does the movie seem human, true, and funny. Even in her slapstick, there's pain." As with her other films during this period, it only received a limited release and was not widely seen. Williams gained wider recognition later in 2005 when she appeared in Ang Lee's "Brokeback Mountain", about the romance between two men, Ennis and Jack (played by Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhaal, respectively). Impressed with her performance
Maggie Gyllenhaal that Gyllenhaal's narration performance of "Anna Karenina" by Leo Tolstoy was available for purchase. Gyllenhaal, when interviewed about the experience said, "Making this, doing this, I feel like it's one of the major accomplishments of my work life." In February 2017, she was a member of the jury for the 2017 Berlin Film Festival. She has been working as a producer and is also acting in the HBO series "The Deuce". Gyllenhaal began a relationship with actor Peter Sarsgaard, a close friend of her brother, Jake, in 2002. They announced their engagement in April 2006, and married on May 2,