The Unheard Tapes: A Detailed Account of Marilyn Monroe’s Final Hours
Despite her appearance playing both a positive and negative role in her career (mostly positive), Marilyn Monroe had a strong desire to be recognized as a serious actress.
In an audio recording, she can be heard saying, “If I am a star, the people made me a star… but I do want to be wonderful, you know?” She also expressed her aspiration by stating, “What I’d like to accomplish, I would like to be a good actress, a true actress. An artist, with integrity.”
In an old interview clip from a Netflix documentary, her co-star in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, Jane Russell, mentioned that Monroe would work all day and then have acting lessons at night. Russell described Monroe as bright, eager to learn, and devoted to taking control of her career.
John Huston, the director who worked with Monroe in her early film Asphalt Jungle (1950) and her final completed movie The Misfits (1961), recalled meeting a young, fresh, attractive, and timid Monroe during her audition. He praised her for her beautiful delivery of lines and noted that her appeal surpassed just her physical appearance. He mentioned that Monroe was not just a sex symbol, but a deeply moving figure that resonated with both men and women.