No, Marilyn Monroe Didn't Meet Her Third Husband Arthur Miller At An Audition
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Blonde, the new Netflix movie based on a fictional book about Marilyn Monroe, isn't a biopic. But it does show the audience the events and adventures of the iconic figure's life, including the men she meets along the way.
The film, starring Ana de Armas as Marilyn, hit Netflix on Sept. 28, 2022, and has shot up the charts.
One man, Arthur Miller, played by Adrien Brody, sparks a special interest among viewers. Miller was Marilyn's third husband, and their love affair was one of the starlet's most well-known romances.
The new movie shows Marilyn meeting the playwright while auditioning for the role of Magda in a play Miller wrote. In the scenes, Marilyn impresses Miller with her knowledge of Chekhov and sparks fly, according to Vulture. But that meet-cute isn't totally accurate.
In fact, the Blonde script, based on the Joyce Carol Oates novel with the same name, took some artistic liberties when bringing Marilyn and Miller's relationship to the big screen.
Here's everything you need to know about what actually happened between Arthur Miller and Marilyn Monroe.
Marilyn Monroe did not audition for the role of Magda.
Despite what Blonde depicts, Marilyn did not read lines for Magda in one of Arthur Miller's plays, per Vulture.
Instead, Miller visited one of the sets that Marilyn was working on.
How did Arthur Miller and Marilyn Monroe actually meet?
Marilyn met Miller in 1951. Director Elia Kazan brought Miller to the set of As Young As You Feel, which Marilyn co-starred in, Vulture reported. At the time, Monroe was rumored to be having an affair with Kazan, according to Vanity Fair.
Marilyn and Miller didn't reconnect until after she divorced Joe DiMaggio nine months after they married in 1954, per Vanity Fair.
How did the relationship start?
Both Marilyn and Miller were married when they first met. In the early 1950s, Miller was married to Mary Slattery while Marilyn was married to Joe DiMaggio, per Biography. DiMaggio was Marilyn's second husband.
However, by 1955, Miller and Marilyn were having an affair that quickly turned into a relationship once they officially split from their spouses, according to Esquire.
Marilyn stood by Miller while he was being investigated by the FBI because of rumors about potential communist ties. Despite being advised to end her relationship with him, Marilyn's love never wavered, per Esquire.
She revealed her deep feelings for Miller during this time through love letters that explained her loyalty. “I am so concerned about protecting Arthur. I love him—and he is the only person—human being I have ever known that I could love not only as a man to which I am attracted to practically out of my senses—but he is the only person—as another human being that I trust as much as myself,” she said, per Fragments: Poems, Intimate Notes, Letters.
Did they get married?
Yes! The couple married on June 29, 1956. They snuck off to the Westchester County Court House in White Plains, New York, and were married in a four-minute civil ceremony, according to Esquire.
Marilyn converted to Judaism for their Jewish wedding ceremony a few days later. Their second wedding ceremony was held on July 1, 1956, and took place at Miller's agent's home, per Esquire.
The newlyweds gave each other rings that had "now is forever" inscribed on them, Esquire reported.
Marilyn and Miller were married for six years.
Marilyn struggled to have a baby.
The same year she married Miller, Marilyn started to face fertility problems. She got pregnant and had a miscarriage, according to Esquire.
Marilyn decided to take 18 months off of work to focus on her and Miller's relationship. In 1957, she suffered an ectopic pregnancy, StyleCaster reported.
She had another miscarriage in 1958, while filming Some Like It Hot, per StyleCaster.
Why did Miller and Monroe divorce?
In Blonde, the fictionalized version of Miller is referred to as "The Playwright." In the film, their marriage starts blissfully, but starts to go downhill after a miscarriage. Marilyn also realizes that Miller is using her as inspiration for his work. She also starts using alcohol and drugs as an escape, per PEOPLE.
IRL, the story is similar. The couple decided to split while working on the movie The Misfits together. Miller had initially intended to write a movie that allowed Marilyn to be seen as a serious actress, yet by the time filming started in the summer of 1960, Marilyn disliked the script. "Arthur said it’s his movie. I don’t think he even wants me in it. It’s all over. We have to stay with each other because it would be bad for the film if we split up now," she said, per Biography.
They divorced on January 20, 1961, in Mexico after six years of marriage, Biography reported.
Marilyn died on August 5, 1962.
Marilyn Monroe died 19 months after divorcing Miller. He did not show up to her funeral.
However, in a handwritten essay that he started on the day of her funeral in 1962, Miller explained why he did not attend. "Instead of jetting [from New York] to the funeral to get my picture taken I decided to stay home and let the public mourners finish the mockery. Not that everyone there will be false, but enough. Most of them there destroyed her, ladies and gentlemen," The Independent reported.
Miller was not a fan of Hollywood and believed that it led to a lot of Marilyn's struggles and her unhappiness, per The Independent.
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