In English 1A, we read William Inge's classic play Bus Stop. Cherie, the main character, is a young woman with a dream. She's lived most of her life in rural Arkansas. She's been abused and passed around by men, but now she has no time for that. She's on her way to L.A. She wants to be a singer. “ I'm a chanteuse. I call m'self Cherie,” she tells anyone who will listen. I doubt she spoke more than a few words of French, but here she uses two in one sentence. It’s clear, Cherie has lived a hard life. By referring to herself as a “chanteuse,” she feels a sense of sophistication. She's not a barroom singer. She's serious. Inside her purse she carries a map wherever she goes. With a red marker, she's traced a straight line on it from Arkansas to California. Her route only goes one way.
In the year prior to filming Bus Stop, Marilyn Monroe left Hollywood to spend a year training with the world's leading experts in stage and screen at the Actors Studio in New York. This is where she studied Method Acting. Her goal was to take her acting to the next level. Method actors dig down deep inside of themselves for a memory or an experience that will help them recreate the true emotions of their character they are playing.
In Cherie, Marilyn had to recognize certain characteristics from her own troubled life. Here Marilyn used her Method training to bring out both the vulnerability and toughness in her role. How did she do? Film critic Susan Doll wrote this: Marilyn didn't just act the role of Cherie-on-screen, she became Cherie....
Below: Clip from the film version of Bus Stop - This is a very COOL scene because Marilyn fought for the integrity of her character. Usually it's the GLAMORIZED Marilyn we see on screen. She's MADE UP. DRESSED TO KILL. She can SING and DANCE. But, not here. Marilyn decided that there was nothing GLAMOROUS about the character she was playing. In fact, Cherie had been pretty much abused and beat up for a long, long time. Of course, her producer and director wanted the SEXY Marilyn, but here she said, "No, No, No."
- No Make-Up
- No Beautiful, Alluring Costumes ( Marilyn herself ripped holes in the stockings)
- No Adoration from Audience (She was supposed to be STRUGGLING)
Marilyn teaches us all a lesson in empathy. She was only human; in the same way many of our friends or family members are human when they struggle with depression, anxiety, insecurity, drugs and alcohol. Hopefully, we can all begin to look at others in a more sensitive and caring light.
Comments