The true story behind a few of the scenes in Marilyn Monroe movie ‘Blonde’
Blonde, the much-anticipated movie about Marilyn Monroe’s life with Ana de Armas in the lead role, is now available on Netflix. As is often the case with movies based on real events, the history has been changed to fit the story. Entertainment Weekly looked at six scenes from the movie and decided if they were true or not. This is what happened.
In Blonde, one of the most scary parts is when Monroe’s mentally ill mother, Gladys, played by Julianne Nicholson, tries to drown her in boiling hot bath water. What happened? Maybe not as such, since there is no proof that a drawing was tried, but Monroe did talk about being abused in private.
“Three times, her mother tried to kill her. Monroe’s third husband, Arthur Miller, told the BBC in 1968 that Monroe often talked about how she could still remember these horrible events so clearly.
The fact that Monroe dates both Charles “Cass” Chaplin Jr. (Xavier Samuel) and Edward G. Robinson Jr. (Evan Williams) at the same time is also important to the plot. Even so, there is no proof that Monroe was ever in a relationship, and there is also no proof that the two men were gay, bi, or in a relationship with each other. Also, the movie’s idea that Cass’ death had something to do with Monroe’s death isn’t true, since he died six years after she did.
The way abortion is shown in Blonde is a very controversial part of the movie. Did the studio force her to have an abortion? There is no proof of this because Monroe never admitted or talked about it. Also, at the time, it was common for Hollywood actresses to either choose abortion for their careers or be pushed by the studio to get one.
The other three scenes (Movie: Blonde)
Monroe’s miscarriage while she was married to the Playwright (Adrien Brody as Arthur Miller) is more or less true. Monroe’s first miscarriage happened in 1956. In 1957, she had an ectopic pregnancy, and in 1958, she had a third miscarriage. The movie seems to have made up the fact that the woman had a miscarriage because she fell down on the beach.
Monroe’s marriage to the Ex-Athlete, played by Bobby Cannavale as Joe DiMaggio, was a bad one. There are many stories about how DiMaggio hurt her physically because he was jealous and insecure about her fame and “bombshell” image. He did attack her because of The Seven Year Itch’s famous subway gate scene. The sound of his father and Monroe screaming is what woke up Di Maggio’s son.
ⒸNetflix“After a few minutes, I heard Marilyn race down the stairs and out the front door, and my father running after her. He caught up to her and grabbed her by the hair and sort of half-dragged her back to the house. She was trying to fight him off but couldn’t.”
Then there’s the scene where Norma Jean meets with Mr. Z (Drarry F. Zanuck, played by David Warshofsky), hoping to get a part or a contract. She does, but only after he sexually assaults her. There’s no proof that it did happen. But Zanuck, who was the head of Twentieth Century Fox, was known for his sketchy meetings with flashing women and starlets.
