The Movie Marilyn Monroe Hated – Why It Was Her Biggest Regret

Marilyn Monroe, the iconic Hollywood starlet, remains a global symbol of beauty and glamour decades after her tragic death. Known for her unforgettable roles in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, Some Like It Hot, and The Seven Year Itch, Monroe’s screen presence helped define an era of cinema. However, behind the sparkling image of the 1950s sex symbol was a woman grappling with immense personal struggles, and one film, in particular, brought these struggles to the forefront in a way Monroe could not escape.

By the time Monroe reached the height of her fame in the early 1960s, her personal life had become just as much a part of her story as her film career. Having suffered from a traumatic childhood and facing ongoing mental health challenges, including depression and insomnia, Monroe’s battles with substance abuse became public knowledge. These personal issues collided with her professional life in a particularly poignant way when she starred in The Misfits in 1960.

Written by her then-husband, playwright Arthur Miller, The Misfits was a film that should have been an opportunity for Monroe to shine. The project, an adaptation of Miller’s short story, seemed like an ideal chance for Monroe to be part of her husband’s artistic vision. But in reality, the production became a grueling ordeal that Monroe would come to regret deeply.

The film’s director, John Huston, later revealed in an interview with Rolling Stone that by the time filming began, Monroe’s health had deteriorated significantly. “She was absolutely certain that she was doomed,” Huston said. “There was evidence right before me almost every day. She was incapable of rescuing herself or being rescued by anyone else.” Monroe’s struggles were made worse by her physical health, including severe stomach issues and the effects of endometriosis, compounded by her drug use.

Production on The Misfits was repeatedly halted to accommodate her hospital visits, and Monroe’s health problems were often concealed from the public. According to Huston, the film was shot in soft focus, and Monroe was sometimes heavily made up while she was recovering or under the influence of medication. Despite these efforts, the toll the filming took on her was visible.

What made The Misfits even more difficult for Monroe was its personal connection to her own life. Although Miller wrote the script years before their marriage, he continued to make changes that seemed to mirror Monroe’s own struggles, particularly in the character of Roslyn Tabor, the woman Monroe portrayed. As the script evolved, Roslyn’s character became more and more like Monroe herself—a portrayal that hit too close to home for the already fragile actress. Monroe felt that the film was not only a reflection of her personal pain but also a product of her husband’s emotional manipulation.

By the time filming wrapped, Monroe had come to loathe both the movie and her performance in it. She felt that it portrayed a version of herself she had not agreed to and that it had dredged up emotions she wasn’t ready to face. Monroe’s disdain for the project led her to refuse to promote the film after its release, contributing to its commercial failure.

Despite Monroe’s personal misgivings, The Misfits has since been reassessed by critics and is now considered one of her most powerful performances. Huston himself noted that Monroe’s emotions in the film were raw and authentic: “She was not pretending to an emotion. It was the real thing. She would go deep down within herself and find it and bring it up into consciousness.”

Sadly, The Misfits marked the end of both Monroe’s career and that of her co-star, Clark Gable. Just days after filming concluded, Gable died of a heart attack, and Monroe would tragically pass away just two years later in 1962. The film, which Monroe had hoped would be a fresh start, ultimately became a painful reminder of her battles with fame, personal demons, and an industry that had taken its toll on her.

Although Monroe despised The Misfits, her legacy as one of Hollywood’s most enduring icons lives on. The film, while a commercial disappointment, has been recognized for its emotional depth, and Monroe’s performance remains a testament to her complex talent and resilience. Even in the face of personal suffering, Monroe’s ability to bring real emotion to the screen ensured her place in the history of cinema—a place that, despite the turmoil, she will never relinquish.