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Thursday, May 10, 2001
Aussie stars as Marilyn in 'Blonde'
Miniseries based on novel set to air Sunday, Wednesday
By Dave Mason
Scripps Howard News Service
The world loved Marilyn Monroe, but during her life, the world really didn't know her.
   "She perceived herself as Norma Jeane Baker, and the world perceived her as sex goddess Marilyn Monroe," said Poppy Montgomery, who stars as Monroe this week on CBS.
   "Blonde," based on the novel by Pulitzer- and Nobel-prize nominee Joyce Carol Oates, is a new miniseries airing at 8 p.m. Sunday and Wednesday .
   Put on a mask
   "She perceived herself as a girl who never had anyone to rely on; she was insecure," Montgomery said during a phone interview. "The world perceived her as something she couldn't perceive. I don't think she ever consciously thought about it. Marilyn Monroe was putting on a costume, putting on a mask for the press.
   "She was incredibly driven. She wanted it more than anything: She said, 'I want to be a movie star.' She was a mass of contradictions."
   Unintentionally, Montgomery has spent much of her life preparing to play Monroe. She has done a lot of research on the actress simply because of her interest in the star.
   "Marilyn Monroe was one of the reasons I wanted to be an actress," Montgomery said.
   "Blonde" marks the first starring role for Montgomery, who had a supporting part last season on UPN's short-lived police drama "The Beat." Her movies have included "Life," "Dead Man on Campus," "The Other Sister," "American Untitled" and "Devil in a Blue Dress."
   For "Blonde," Montgomery, an Australian, starred in a 300-some page script that includes her in almost all of the scenes.
   "I think this is the first time it was all me," Montgomery said. "I had to deal with my own insecurities and fears in the process."
   Did the research
   Montgomery got the part after just one videotaped audition before a casting director. Shooting began in Melbourne, Australia, one week after she was cast. Fortunately, Montgomery already had done the research.
   "It's the most important work I've ever done in my life," Montgomery said about her latest role.
   Montgomery's favorite Monroe movie is her last one, "The Misfits" with Clark Gable (1961), because she played a character so much like herself. She also cited "Bus Stop" (1956) and "Niagara" (1953).
   "More and more people are realizing she was a phenomenal actress," Montgomery said. Long after she became famous, Monroe continued to work on her craft at the Actors Studio.
   "She was always striving to be better," Montgomery said.
   Monroe knew how to project vulnerability through diverse characters and win the audience's support, Montgomery said. "In 'Don't Bother to Knock,' she portrays a woman who is crazy and dark. In 'Niagara,' she plays a not-very-nice woman, but you still love her."
   Keep it real
   Montgomery conceded Monroe was a challenging role. "Marilyn Monroe is the most complicated, contradictory actress and the most beautiful woman who ever lived. I wanted people to see who she was. It became very important to me to keep it real and not do an impersonation."
   "Blonde" also stars Ann-Margret as Monroe's grandmother, Della, and Patricia Richardson as her mother, Gladys. Titus Welliver plays the Athlete, the character representing Joe DiMaggio, and Griffin Dunne is the Playwright, who's symbolic of Arthur Miller. Wallace Shawn plays the agent who changes Norma Jeane Baker into Marilyn Monroe. The cast also includes Kirstie Alley, Eric Bogosian and Patrick Dempsey.
   Montgomery credits Oates' book for filling in the blanks that actors often must fill to understand their characters.
   Executive producer Robert Greenwald echoed that.
   "I never wanted to do a movie about Marilyn Monroe. I wanted to do a movie based on the novel 'Blonde,' " Greenwald said during another phone interview. "When I finished (reading the book), I realized I had no idea how to turn it into a film."
   Fame and fortune
   And he realized he couldn't resist that kind of challenge.
   "First and foremost, it (the miniseries) is emotional and dramatic and entertaining," Greenwald said. "I don't feel it's my job to be teaching.
   "I think her demons are complicated - the way society dealt with her, the way her mother and dad dealt with her, her being a beautiful woman with a fragile psyche and a woman of extreme talent.
   "Fame and fortune don't make pain go away," he said.
   Greenwald decided to focus on her life as Norma Jeane. "The drama was not in her doing movies. It was in the early years.
   "There were people who thought she had talent, people who thought she was worthless," Greenwald said. "She has stood the test of time.

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