Hollywood’s ultimate bombshell, Marilyn Monroe, was the very definition of seduction and glamour on screen during the 1960s. Her irresistible, attractive appearance and “silly-girl” persona made her one of the most desirable women during Hollywood’s golden era.
However, Monroe’s life behind the camera has always been a major topic of conversation. Beyond her on-screen charm, the actress reportedly fought with crippling insecurities that turned film sets into a battleground of patience, anxiety, and at times, perfectionism, often making it unbearable for her co-stars and directors to work with her.
The “It’s Me, Sugar!” Nightmare
Apparently, the most infamous incident took place during the 1958 filming of Billy Wilder’s iconic comedy ‘Some Like It Hot.’ Monroe, who played the sweet but dim-witted Sugar Kane, reportedly arrived late to the set almost every day. Even worse, sometimes she was a no-show. This left her co-stars, Jac Lemmon and Tony Curtis, in a tricky position, often testing their patience as they waited in their drag costumes.
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Even simple lines, ones most performers could deliver in the blink of an eye, turned into long struggles for Monroe. Don’t believe it? She reportedly needed 47 takes just to say “It’s me, Sugar.” Due to some unknown reason, she kept mixing it up. And that was not all. She took over 40 tries to get “Where’s the bourbon?” right.
Billy Wilder, who had previously collaborated with Monroe in ‘The Seven Year Itch,’ grew more and more frustrated with her during filming. Fortunately, Wilder, known for his calm-headedness, wrote Monroe’s lines on cue cards and boards to help her through the scenes.
Little did Monroe realize that these delays not only affected her co-stars but also disrupted the entire production. The shoot fell weeks behind schedule, driving up costs and adding to the film’s already chaotic production.
Tony Curtis And The “Kissing Hitler” Comment
The world believes any man would die to kiss Marilyn Monroe, right? For her co-stars, it should have been the ultimate dream. In reality, it often wasn’t.
Tony Curtis once said their lip-lock felt “like kissing Hitler.” Yes, you read that right. Curtis comparing kissing the most beautiful woman at the time to the worst person in history is something that no one would ever think of. But it happened. Why? Because they had to shoot the same scenes over and over again.
According to Variety, Jack Lemmon once called Monroe “basically an unhappy girl” who had “a lot of problems.”
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Lemmon was not wrong. Turns out, at the time of filming ‘Some Like It Hot,’ Monroe was going through serious personal problems with her husband, playwright Arthur Miller. Although the exact cause is not known, it is alleged that the animosity stemmed from her miscarriage and her heavy reliance on sleeping pills.
Monroe’s acting coach, Paul Strasberg, was always by her side, supporting her, but many on set disliked her constant presence and felt it was making her condition worse.
Behind the Scenes of ‘The Prince and The Showgirl’ With Laurence Olivier
The tensions that began on the set of ‘Some Like It Hot‘ continued during ‘The Prince and the Showgirl‘, where Monroe starred opposite and was directed by Laurence Olivier.
Olivier, who was known for his classic on-screen acting style, had a very difficult time coping with Monroe’s method acting and her reliance on Lee Strasberg.
The differences led to frequent clashes on the set, and even Monroe believed at one point that the crew was betting on how many takes it would take for her to complete a scene.
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The Root of Marilyn Monroe’s Childhood Trauma
Many believe that it was Monroe’s traumatic childhood, her deep sense of insecurity shaped by abandonment, and her time in foster care that culminated in these doubts. Even at the peak of her fame, she feared that she would be reduced to just a “dumb blonde,” which, unfortunately, did happen to a large extent.
Strasberg, her mentor at the Actors Studio, pushed her to embrace her past and childhood, but that only led to increased stage fright, anxiety, and obsession with perfectionism.
Wilder, however, once came to Monroe’s defense, stating, “It takes a real artist to come on the set and not know her lines and yet give the performance she did.” And that speaks volumes about the talent that Monroe possessed, which was undeniable but often overlooked just because of her public image.
Monroe later went on to win a Golden Globe for her role in ‘Some Like It Hot.’ She tragically passed away in 1962 at just 36, leaving a legacy that continues to inspire and mystify the world.
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