Exploring the off-screen tensions between Marilyn Monroe and Laurence Olivier
As an actor, Marilyn Monroe rose to the very top of the Hollywood ranks, but it was her stature as a global icon that continues to define her incredible legacy. Often seen as one of the defining symbols of American culture, Monroe’s appeal transcended the film industry, and studios were very quick to capitalise on that. That’s exactly why her image has become synonymous with Hollywood’s success, despite the fact that her life was much more complex than her on-screen representations.
Before her untimely death at the age of 36 from a drug overdose, Monroe had to undergo a lot of struggles – in her childhood as well as professionally. Transformed into the perfect Hollywood product by executives who commodified her appeal, Monroe’s acting skills were often ignored in favour of other superficial elements. One incident that exemplifies this is the production of the 1957 romantic comedy The Prince and the Showgirl.
An adaptation of Terence Rattigan’s play, The Prince and the Showgirl, was a Marilyn Monroe Production project which featured her opposite another incredibly famous icon – Laurence Olivier. On paper, it was bound to be the perfect matchup since the two of them represented the best of what the industry had to offer. In fact, Monroe was initially thrilled to have the opportunity to work with Olivier since he had been a personal hero. She once said: “He has always been my idol.”
During the initial press conferences and interviews, Olivier repeatedly praised Monroe and her ability to transition between different modes of comedy. While talking about her acting prowess, the acclaimed actor said: “She is a brilliant comedienne, and therefore an extremely good actress. She has the cunning gift of being able to suggest one minute that she is the naughtiest little thing, and the next minute that she is beautifully dumb and innocent.”
However, there was soon a disagreement between the two because Olivier didn’t approve of Monroe’s method acting process. He patronisingly told her: “All you have to do is be sexy, dear Marilyn.” Disappointed and angered by Olivier’s misogynistic comment, the actor became highly uncooperative and started arriving late to the set. Her behaviour further incensed Olivier, who condemned Monroe’s professional conduct.
Monroe’s husband, the renowned playwright Arthur Miller, also commented on this incident and said that she had experienced a real “never meet your heroes” moment, which demoralised her. Miller observed: “As she had done with so many people, she had idealised Olivier, who, as the great and serious artist, must be above mortal considerations of the kind so common among the Hollywood flesh-mongers she thought she had escaped.”
The two acting titans begrudgingly finished the production, resulting in a lacklustre film which failed to become a critical success and didn’t fulfil commercial expectations either. It’s telling that whenever their respective filmographies are discussed, The Prince and the Showgirl almost never comes up.
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