Marilyn Monroe is being seen in a new light.
64 years after her death, the FULL rare interview the iconic model and actress participated in with Life magazine’s Richard Meryman is seeing the light of day! That, plus never-before-seen photos shot by Allan Grant, and more are being unveiled in Marilyn: The Lost Photographs, The Last Interview, a new book releasing on May 12 ahead of what would have marked Marilyn’s 100th birthday on June 1.
As we know, Marilyn was tragically found dead at 36 years old on August 4, 1962, just two days after offering what would become her final interview. At the time, her death was labeled a “possible suicide,” but that’s been hotly contested over the decades… Keep reading ahead for her final thoughts, as obtained by People ahead of the book’s release.
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Childhood
“I decided I wanted to be an actress when I was five. Some of my foster parents used to send me to the movies to get me out of the house, and there I’d sit all day and way into the night — up in front, a little kid all alone, and I loved it.”
Fame
“It’s like caviar. It’s good to have caviar, but if you had it every damn day, you know? [laughs] Too much caviar. The time I came out of the hospital in New York [in 1961], that was a little rough because I had just had a gallbladder operation and the crowds were pushing and my side opened up. I realized that people want to see that you’re real.
I never felt I had an effect on people until I was in Korea [in 1954]. There would be 75,000 men sitting in their parkas in the snow, and when I’d come out, they’d whistle and call out my name for 10 minutes before I could even get started.”
Singing for President John F. Kennedy
“There was like a hush that came over the place. I didn’t think anything was going to come out. When I got to the microphone, I just took one breath and then suddenly I thought, here goes! I thought, I’ll sing this song if it’s the last thing I ever do. And not only just for the president, but for all the people.
Afterwards they had some kind of reception. I had met the attorney general [Robert F. Kennedy] briefly, so it was good to see a smiling, friendly face. But I was with my former father-in-law. He came here an immigrant, and I thought this would be the biggest thing in his life. I thought it would be something he could tell his grandchildren about. So instead of saying, “How do you do, Mr. President?” I said, “This is my former father-in-law, Isidore Miller.”
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Movie Stardom
“I remember when I got the part in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes. Jane Russell was the brunette and I was the blonde. She got $200,000 for it, and I got my $500 a week, but to me that was considerable. But I couldn’t get a dressing room. I said, finally, ‘Look, after all, I am the blonde and it is Gentlemen Prefer Blondes!’ Because they always kept saying, ‘Remember, you’re not a star.’ I said, ‘Well, whatever I am, I am the blonde!’ I was always being talked down to by the corporation.”
Social Life
“I’ve been invited places to sort of kind of brighten up a dinner table. You’re not really invited for yourself sometimes. That’s why I don’t really get involved in the so-called Hollywood life, you know? It doesn’t interest me. People, I like. The public scares me, mobs scare me.”
On Being Labeled A Sex Symbol
“I’m going to be a symbol of something, I’d rather have it be sex than some of the other things they’ve got symbols of. I think that sexuality is only attractive when it’s natural and spontaneous. I’ve never acted consciously from a sexual viewpoint. First of all, I’ve never had an erotic scene. I’ve always wanted to test it out and see if I could do it. We are all born sexual creatures, thank god. It’s a pity so many people despise and crush this natural gift. Because art, real art, comes from it.”
She also talked about wanting to be seen as more than just a sex symbol:
“That’s the trouble — a sex symbol becomes a thing. I just hate to be a thing.”
Marriages and Stepchildren
Marilyn wed three times: to James Dougherty from 1942 to 1946, to Joe DiMaggio from 1954 to 1955, and to Arthur Miller from 1956 to 1961.
“When I was 16, a kid, I was a housewife. I was brought up differently than the average American child. Happiness wasn’t anything I ever took for granted. Sometimes I think all I’ve ever wanted in the world is to settle for being a happily married woman with a wonderful family, but I don’t think I would trade that for what I’ve learned.
When I was married, I always had to kind of take into consideration the other person, my husband. Not only my husband but most particularly my stepchildren. I always wanted them to feel that they knew me as myself, whatever they might read or hear.
One time my stepson, Bobby [son of Arthur], had some magazine kind of hidden. It was one of these awful articles all about me. I just said, ‘Bobby, anything you want to know about me, come and ask me. But don’t get it secondhand from these kind of things.’ Joey [son of Joe], when he was in a military institution, we’d pick him up on the weekends. My stepchildren are my best friends.”
Why She Was Always Late
“They sort of slandered me in the press, saying that I’m depressed, in some kind of a slump and hidden away. So then I just take a little extra time with my hair, a little extra eye shadow. A little more glitter. I don’t know, it’s just my way of saying, ‘Ha!’”
Lessons Learned
“I’ve learned a lot that I wouldn’t trade for anything. I wouldn’t want a child of mine to go through what I’ve been through. Maybe it just sounds like sour grapes because I didn’t have a happy family; but my life, this way of learning had to be my way. I hope to -ultimately be able, through my work, to illuminate for some people some things I’ve learned. Maybe it’s just a dream. But I’m also entitled to my dreams.”
WOW!
Meryman shared memories from final visit with Marilyn two days after the interview:
“She was barefooted, wearing a robe, and had not yet washed off last night’s mascara. Her delicate hair was in a sleep-tumbled whirl. She held the manuscript high in front of her eyes and carefully read it aloud. As I walked away, she suddenly called after me, “Hey, thanks.” I turned, and there she stood, strangely forlorn. I thought then of her reaction earlier when I had asked if many friends had called up to rally ’round when she was fired by Fox. There was silence, and sitting very straight, eyes wide and hurt, she had answered with a tiny ‘No.’”
What are YOUR thoughts? Will you be picking up Marilyn: The Lost Photographs, The Last Interview next week? Let us know in the comments section!
[Images via 20th Century-Fox/YouTube]
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