In a rare interview, given just weeks before her passing, Marilyn Monroe revealed that “most people really don’t know me.”
That interview is published in full in the new book Marilyn: The Lost Photographs, The Last Interview. PEOPLE Magazine published an excerpt from the book, where Monroe spoke to LIFE Magazine editor Richard Meryman.
Marilyn Monroe Admits That Fame Came With a Cost
The screen goddess opened up in a series of interviews, which were meant to focus on her life in the spotlight. However, they uncovered deeper truths about the cost of fame and her celebrity status.
âYou know, most people really donât know me,â Monroe told LIFE Magazine in 1962. “Thatâs the trouble â a sex symbol becomes a thing. I just hate to be a thing.â
She added, “Itâs like caviar. Itâs good to have caviar, but if you had it every damn day, you know? Too much caviar.”
Monroe said she knew her fame had gotten bigger than she could have imagined after she was hospitalized in 1961. The crowds who waited for her discharge from the medical facility got out of control.
She explained, “That was a little rough because I had just had a gallbladder operation, and the crowds were pushing and my side opened up. I realized that people want to see that youâre real.”
She concluded, “I never felt I had an effect on people until I was in Korea [in 1954]. There would be 75,000 men sitting in their parkas in the snow, and when Iâd come out, theyâd whistle and call out my name for 10 minutes before I could even get started.”
The Night Marilyn Monroe Stole the Spotlight at JFKâs Birthday Celebration
On May 19, 1962, Marilyn Monroe famously sang a sultry rendition of “Happy Birthday” to President John F. Kennedy at a Democratic fundraiser at Madison Square Garden. The actress wore a skin-tight, sheer dress that became as iconic as her performance.
The sultry performance fueled rumors of an affair between the actress and the president. Monroe spoke about that iconic night, sharing the moment she stepped in front of a microphone, frightened, before she sang her birthday wishes.
Monroe said, “There was like a hush that came over the place. I didnât think anything was going to come out. When I got to the microphone, I just took one breath and then suddenly I thought, here goes!”
“I thought, Iâll sing this song if itâs the last thing I ever do. And not only just for the president, but for all the people.Â
Monroe added that after her performance, a reception was held. She attended with her former father-in-law, Isidore Miller, father of playwright Arthur Miller.
“He came here as an immigrant, and I thought this would be the biggest thing in his life. I thought it would be something he could tell his grandchildren about. So instead of saying, ‘How do you do, Mr. President?’ I said, ‘This is my former father-in-law, Isidore Miller.’â
Monroe passed away at the age of 36 on August 5, 1962, two days after her LIFE Magazine interview was published.
“Marilyn: The Lost Photographs, The Last Interview” by Richard Meryman with photographs by Allan Grant will be released May 12.
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