blond, the highly anticipated dramatization of Marilyn Monroe’s life starring Ana de Armas, has finally been released on Netflix. As is often the case with any film based on a true story, an artistic license has been taken with regard to history. Weekly entertainment went through six scenes of the film and determined whether they were fact or fiction. This is the result.
A particularly poignant scene in blond is Monroe’s mentally ill mother, Gladys (Julianne Nicholson), who tries to drown her in boiling hot bath water. Did that happen? Perhaps not as such, as there is no evidence of an attempted drawing, but Monroe spoke privately about abuse incidents.
“Her mother has tried to kill her three times. For most of her life Marilyn often remarked how she could vividly remember these horrific encounters,” Arthur Miller, Monroe’s third husband, told the BBC in 1968.
Another plot point in the film is that Monroe simultaneously enters into a relationship with Charles “Cass” Chaplin Jr. (Xavier Samuel) and Edward G. Robinson Jr. (Evan Williams). Despite this, there is no evidence that Monroe was ever in a relationship, nor were the two men gay, bi, or in a relationship. Additionally, the film’s speculation that Cass’ death played a part in Monroe’s own downfall is untrue, as he died six years after she died in real life.
A particularly controversial element in blond is the depiction of abortion in the film. Was Monroe forced to have an abortion by the studio? There is no evidence for that, as Monroe has never admitted or discussed such a thing. That said, it was common practice at the time for Hollywood actresses to either choose abortion for the sake of their career or be encouraged to get it through the studio.
The other three scenes
Monroe’s miscarriage while married to the playwright (Arthur Miller as played by Adrien Brody) is more or less accurate. Monroe first miscarried in 1956, then an ectopic pregnancy in 1957, and then a third miscarriage in 1958. Of course, the cause of the miscarriage depicted in the film, tripping on a beach, seems to have been invented by the film.
Monroe’s marriage to the ex-athlete (Joe DiMaggio, as portrayed by Bobby Cannavale) was abusive. There are countless stories of DiMaggio’s physical abuse, which were motivated by his jealousy and insecurity about her fame and image. He did attack her over the famous subway gate scene in… The seven-year-old itch. Di Maggio’s son remembers waking up to the sound of his father and Monroe screaming.
“After a few minutes I heard Marilyn running down the stairs and out the front door, and my father running after her. He caught up with her and grabbed her by the hair and more or less half dragged her home. She tried to fight him off, but couldn’t.”
Then there’s the scene where Norma Jean has a meeting with Mr. Z (Drarry F. Zanuck, played by David Warshofsky), hoping to land a role or contract. She does, but only after he rapes her. There is no evidence that that happens. However, Zanuck, the head of Twentieth Century Fox, was known for his questionable encounters with starlets and flashy women.