“YOU KNOW, MOST PEOPLE REALLY DON’T KNOW ME.”
SHE STUDIED HARD AT HER ART – Marilyn always wanted to be an actress and she worked her butt off to be the best she could be. Starting in small roles she would take several classes in acting, singing, dancing and more to better herself and stand out from the other starlets. It took over 5 years for her to get a leading role. Even years into her fame she went to the Actor’s Studio where she studied method acting (the same as Marlon Brando, James Dean and Al Pacino). This would be where she became very critical of her ability to be a good actress, which she of course was.
NOTE: I recommend you watching Don’t Bother to Knock, Niagara, Bus Stop, The Misfits, Gentlemen Prefer Blondes and The Seven Year Itch to show Marilyn in a variety of roles.
SHE WAS AN AVID READER – Marilyn Monroe dumb you say? Marilyn’s book collection which sold at auction included 430 titles. The books in question contained the topics of Russian Literature, art, history, science and more. No dumb blonde would have interest in these topics, surely?
SHE WAS ONE OF THE FIRST WOMEN TO START A PRODUCTION COMPANY – After years of agreeing to taking on the sexy bombshell roles Marilyn felt she was being typecast and not at all taken seriously. With the lack of salary she was receiving in comparison to what was brought in from her movies Marilyn felt she deserved better. And she was right considering she starred in some of the 1950s highest grossing movies (search by year and you will see Marilyn’s name pop up a few times).
With this in mind her and photographer Milton Greene teamed up for form Marilyn Monroe Productions (December 1954) making her one of the first women to set up a production company.
SHE WAS A CIVIL RIGHTS ACTIVIST – Marilyn had no fear of being photographed with people of colour at a time where it was still a subject of taboo or speaking out about it. Marilyn Monroe had actually help launch Ella Fitzgerald’s career due to convincing the owner of Mocambo to have her perform, although she was originally refused. The rumour is that Ella was originally rejected was because she was black, however there had been plenty of African Americans who performed there before her.
You can read the full article by Laura Saxby here
