Michelle Williams almost missed out on the job that’s earned her an Emmy nomination .

The actress is a front-runner to scoop a Lead Actress award Sunday night, for her role in “Dying For Sex,” the FX limited series that she executive produced and stars in — playing a cancer patient determined to pursue her sexual desires in the face of death.

But Williams, 45, almost didn’t take the role, because it was originally set to film in Los Angeles. She has built her life in New York City, for years as a single mom and now with a husband, producer Tommy Kail, and three small children. This is a city she loves but that has also been a place of great tragedy.

It’s been 17 years since the shocking overdose death of actor Heath Ledger , the father of Williams’ daughter Matilda , now 19.

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