When Marilyn Monroe was thought of as a “replaceable” actress, she knew how important she was and took a stand for herself.
Nancy Lee Andrews, a photographer, said that “She was learning how to be strong.” “The fact that Marilyn Monroe became Marilyn is not a bad thing, tho. It’s a great thing. ”
As soon as you look at this movie star off-camera, you get a clear picture of her whole life. Here’s a look at how Monroe used her skills to get ahead in her career.
Not another dumb blonde.
“Gentlemen Prefer Blondes” was one of Marilyn Monroe’s first big hits. She played Lorelei, a showgirl who was going to marry a rich man in France. She was a dumb blonde gold digger.
When it’s important, I can be smart. Most men don’t like it, tho. ” She says in the movie, a line that Marilyn Monroe insisted on having in the movie as well.
While working for 20th Century Fox, Marilyn Monroe didn’t have any say in who was cast. The movie studios had a stranglehold on the movie business. This was also a time when very few women were making, writing, or directing movies or TV shows. According to a study by Luis Amaral of Northwestern University, only 5% of the movie writers in the 1950s were women.
The lack of female representation didn’t stop Monroe from making these simple characters more complicated and giving them more power.
When you think of Lori, you think of the dumb blonde who isn’t as dumb as you think she is, says Sarah Churchwell, who is a professor of American literature in London.
Monroe played into people’s preconceptions to become a big star.
Amber Tamblyn, an actress, said, “If you can not only be in on the joke but also be in charge of it, that to me is a sign of genius.”
Power and fighting for her worth are what she does.
When Marilyn Monroe was younger, she played dumb blondes in a lot of big movies, like “How to Marry a Millionaire,” in which she played herself again. For $15 million, the movie made Fox $150 million today.
The musical, “The Girl in Pink Tights,” asked Marilyn Monroe to play a pretty, one-note lead. Marilyn Monroe was tired of it, so she turned down the role. Cindy De La Hoz-Sipala, the author of a biography about her, says she called it “trash” and handed it back to Darryl Zanuck, the head of the studio, calling it “trash.”
In addition, she learned that her co-star in the movie, Frank Sinatra, was going to make $5,000 a week, while she was only going to make $1,500.
Mira Sorvino, an actress, said: “She was the main thing.” People came to the theater because of her. She did not get a much more powerful job in terms of money, which was crazy.
Monroe didn’t want to play the part until her pay and working conditions were better.
She left the set of “Pink Tights” because people thought she was always the bad one. Enough said, let’s go. ” As an author and a film critic, Molly Haskell said this.
Monroe’s contract was changed by the studio, giving her a raise for future roles. The movie never happened, and the studio did not make the movie.
