It’s no lie that Hollywood has been blessed with stars who are hailed for completely changing the industry, but no one can even come close to Norma Jeane Mortenson, famously known as Marilyn Monroe. In her brief career, Marilyn Monroe gave Tinseltown some of the best movies ever made. Marilyn’s hall of fame included “Seven Year Itch,” “Gentlemen Prefer Blondes,” “Misfits,” “Prince and the Showman,” “Niagara,” “River of No Return,” and many more. This was just the tip of the iceberg, as the Hollywood heartthrob also played a huge role in revolutionizing the fashion industry. She was a walking embodiment of freedom, confidence, and fearlessness at a time when women were often overlooked for opportunities.
Netflix has just released “Blonde,” based on the life of Marilyn Munro, directed by Andrew Dominik and starring Ana De Armas in the lead role. Ana De Armas did complete justice to the role, and “Blonde” could be the reason she’ll claim her very first Academy Award.
- Marilyn Was a Bibliophile
Marilyn loved reading and had close to 400 volumes of books in her personal library. Marilyn said that she used to browse bookshops, select a novel at a whim, and begin reading. If the sentence interested her, it was likely that she would purchase the novel. During interviews, Marilyn often addressed this habit. According to the “Seven Year Itch” actress, when she was bored and had nothing better to do, she would drive to Pickwick Bookstore and randomly flip through books, eventually purchasing the ones she found interesting. This was Marilyn’s explanation when questioned on why she had selected R.M.Rilke’s Letters to a Young Poet. Additionally, Marilyn was said to like intelligent men. An ex-roommate of Marilyn’s, Shelly Winters, remembered that the two of them had devised a “fun” list of guys they might want to spend the night with. Aside from the famous scientist Albert Einstein, Monroe’s list did not contain a single male younger than 50.
- Marilyn Was Scrutinized Even By The FBI
The Hollywood star had been in clandestine relationships with many famous men. This included her husband, Arthur Miller. Arthur Miller was a renowned playwright who was noted for his anti-American views. Owing to her association with Arthur Miller, the Bureau kept a dossier on Marilyn. Monroe also wanted to go to the Soviet Union back in 1955. The Bureau had reasonable doubts about Marilyn, so they did their best to keep tabs on her. Both Marilyn’s home and car were bugged. She had a property in the Brentwood neighborhood of Los Angeles. Almost ten years after Marilyn’s demise, in the 1970s, a newlywed bought the home. The newlyweds found a telephone spying device that was installed all throughout the property as they were refurbishing it.
- Sometimes She Stuttered
Marilyn had a rough upbringing that left her emotionally stunted and cautious. She started to stutter. Her early stuttering gave her a mellifluous tone, which she later exploited to great effect in the acting profession. In order to intentionally adopt a mellifluous voice, Marilyn worked with a speech and language therapist. Marilyn’s stutter became an issue during the filming of Something’s Got to Give. When filming the scenes, she was subjected to a great deal of stress. She struggled to speak clearly and follow her dialogues because of her stuttering.
- Producers and Managers Had Trouble Collaborating With Her
Marilyn’s notoriety made her a headache to collaborate with. She was said to be erratic by those who knew her well. She was frequently late on set, and she regularly mishandled her leading roles. Her antics had caused production companies to lose money. Marilyn had a lot of self-doubt despite her enormous fame. She was always seeking guidance from her mentor, and she rarely accepted a role without first consulting with her acting teacher. Her deteriorating state of mind also contributed to her inconsistent performance. Today’s mental health professionals are more inclined to diagnose Marilyn with a borderline personality disorder. Her self-esteem issues, substance abuse, and suicidal ideation all contribute to her condition. There was a history of schizophrenia in Marilyn’s family, and there were various factors in her childhood that might have contributed to her psychiatric condition.
- Monroe’s Final Wish
Before her passing, Monroe had been seeing DiMaggio. Among her last requests was that he regularly have flowers sent to her gravesite. Following Marilyn’s tragic passing, DiMaggio honored her request for more than twenty years. His dying wish was to see Marilyn again, and he had expressed this hope just before he passed away. However, their marriage lasted for barely seven months. As romantic as it might sound, their relationship was anything but beautiful. Marilyn’s divorce petition cited “mental mistreatment” as the primary reason for her unhappiness. DiMaggio stayed by Marilyn’s side through thick and thin, even after they split up.
- Marilyn Loved To Cook
The California star’s life wasn’t all glitter and splendor. Marilyn was a foodie with some great cooking skills. The Hollywood heartthrob enjoyed a variety of steaks with carrot sticks, as reported by Taste of Home Magazine. She liked to grill her own lamb chops and also loved glazed carrots, liver, sandwiches, patties, sausage, and desserts made with chocolate caramel.
- Monroe Missed Out On Breakfast at Tiffany’s
Producer and filmmaker Truman Capote wanted to cast Monroe as the protagonist of Breakfast at Tiffany’s. In fact, two of Marilyn’s appearances in the show were filmed. But Marilyn’s acting instructor warned her about the role. The acting instructor had doubts about casting Marilyn since she didn’t look or act in the role. Truman tried to persuade Marilyn but eventually had to cast Audrey Hepburn as Holly Golightly.
- Her Name Wasn’t originally Marilyn Monroe
Marilyn, in her relatively short lifespan, went by a number of names and aliases. The Hollywood star was originally born Norma Jeane Mortenson. Later, she received the name “Norma Jeane Baker” after getting baptized. Notably, at the outset of her employment, she posed under a variety of aliases, including Mona Monroe and Jean Norman. It wasn’t till 1956 that she finally changed her name to Marilyn Monroe, the name that would stay with her till her untimely passing. For her off-screen personality, Marilyn settled with Norma Jean.
See More: How Marilyn Monroe Revolutionized The Fashion Industry & The Price She Had to Pay For It
