Interviewer: Is this a new Marilyn? A new style?
Marilyn: No, I’m the same person. But it’s a different suit.
My 5 Favorite Marilyn Monroe Roles
#1 → Nell (Don’t bother to knock)
I’d like to celebrate Marilyn’s life today and I’d like to start off by telling how my love for her came to be. I’m sure those who know me know that I’ve always appreciated Marilyn for quite some time now. I’ve gotten into arguments with people on here who write the most cruelest things about her. Maybe there is no point in arguing since they can’t see the magic that millions of others do, but a part of me wants to defend her and protect her from the cruelty of others—even 49 years after her passing. I became aware of Marilyn when I was 12 years old and I remember thinking, “She’s so overrated!” or “Why do people love her so much? I don’t see the big deal!” God bless you Marilyn, for if I had known the impact you would have had in my life, I would have never said such things. I’m never going to forget the day I saw Marilyn’s biography. I’m never going to forget the ending credits where they showed Marilyn’s beautiful screentest for Something’s Got To Give. That was the point at which my annoyance and frustration towards the fascination for this woman became adoration. I saw Marilyn beyond the image. I saw her as a real person and not the icon. She taught me not to judge someone based on their image. As I started watching and reading more about Marilyn, it was impossible for me not to feel any sympathy for her. She lacked the kind of love and emotional support that everyone deserves, and that really saddened me. All she wanted was to be loved and it seems as though the kind of love she wanted came to her a bit too late. For Marilyn is loved, admired and imitated by many around the world. She was a sex symbol, but she could portray sexiness and innocence in a way I had never seen before. I felt protective towards her the first time I saw her films. As the lovely Natalie Wood said: “When you look at Marilyn on the screen, you don’t want anything bad to happen to her. You really care that she should be all right…happy.” Her vulnerability was present through her photos and some of her film work. I just felt like hugging her and shielding her from everything that’s wrong with the world. It’s very rare when I feel that way towards someone, especially someone I’ve never met. That’s the kind of magic that Marilyn Monroe has. People like Madonna and Anna Nicole Smith have tried to portray that kind of magic in videos and photographs, but what Marilyn had was something that nobody will ever have. As Life Magazine said, she is “a screen icon beyond compare.” No matter how many people dress like her, dye their hair like hers, try to talk or walk like her—there will never be anyone who possesses the same kind of spirit that she had. She was truley one of a kind and nobody will surpass the beauty that was and the legend that is Marilyn Monroe. I love her very much and will for the rest of my life.
1956: Marilyn begin attending Lee Strasburg’s workshops at the Actors Studio. She worked with Strasberg three nights a week at his home and often stayed to have dinner with the family. She soon joined one of Lee’s private classes, which met 4 hours a week, including 2 devoted to sensory memory exercises, and 2 to the work of the stage. Their meeting marked the beginning of an essential personal and professional relationship which lasted until her death.
