Why “The Prince and the Showgirl” Was Marilyn Monroe’s True Passion Project

For millions, Marilyn Monroe will forever be the platinum-blonde bombshell of Hollywood’s Golden Age—her laugh, her curves, and her effortless screen charisma immortalized in classics like Some Like It Hot and Gentlemen Prefer Blondes. But behind the glamorous image, Monroe was a determined artist with ambitions far deeper than the roles that made her famous. When it comes to the part she cherished most, all signs point to her work in The Prince and the Showgirl (1957)—a project that was as personal as it was professional.

By the mid-1950s, Monroe’s frustration with being typecast as the “dumb blonde” reached a breaking point. Craving more control and serious recognition, she took a bold step: founding Marilyn Monroe Productions. The company’s first major undertaking was The Prince and the Showgirl, in which she not only starred as the sparkling showgirl Elsie Marina but also took on a producer’s role—her way of rewriting the rules of her career.

What set this film apart for Monroe? For starters, it was her first major independent venture, granting her unprecedented authority over her own work. Starring opposite the formidable Sir Laurence Olivier, Monroe had a chance to prove her acting chops alongside one of the world’s most respected stage legends. The collaboration was not always easy—clashes between Olivier’s classical style and Monroe’s Method-inspired approach have become the stuff of Hollywood lore—but the experience was transformative. Olivier himself recognized her extraordinary comedic talent, famously calling her “a brilliant comedienne, which to me means she also is an extremely skilled actress.”

While Monroe never left behind a definitive quote naming her favorite role, the context is compelling. The marketing for The Prince and the Showgirl called it Monroe’s “happiest role,” a claim that resonated with the pride she took in finally having creative input. On set, Monroe was able to blend her natural wit, comedic timing, and a newfound sense of dramatic gravitas, stepping far beyond the limits of the “blonde bombshell” persona she’d been handed in earlier hits like The Seven Year Itch and Gentlemen Prefer Blondes.

Other roles brought Monroe acclaim—her Golden Globe-winning turn in Some Like It Hot, and her raw performance in The Misfits (a film written for her by then-husband Arthur Miller). But those performances came with their own challenges and pains; none matched the sense of agency, fulfillment, and personal victory that The Prince and the Showgirl brought her.

Decades after her death, the film is often cited by fans and critics as a career-defining moment—a project that symbolized Monroe’s fight for respect and autonomy in an industry that preferred her as an object rather than an artist. While Marilyn Monroe’s words on the subject remain elusive, her actions—and the history of The Prince and the Showgirl—tell the story clearly. This was the role she not only cherished, but also the one that allowed her to finally show the world who she really was: not just a star, but an actress in every sense of the word.