John Huston on His First Impression of Marilyn Monroe: “She Was Going to Be Good”
OPINION: This article may contain commentary which reflects the author's opinion.
Few directors from Hollywood’s Golden Age possessed the instinctive eye for talent that John Huston did. Known for coaxing unforgettable performances from some of cinema’s most iconic figures—from Humphrey Bogart’s desperate prospector in The Treasure of the Sierra Madre to Jeff Bridges’ nuanced turn in Fat City—Huston had a knack for spotting greatness before the rest of the world caught on. One of his most telling anecdotes comes from his first encounter with a then-unknown actress named Marilyn Monroe.
A Spark in The Asphalt Jungle
In 1950, Huston was casting for his film noir classic The Asphalt Jungle, when a young Monroe appeared before him to audition for a small role. Though the part was minor, Huston later recalled in an interview that he immediately sensed something in her.
“I had Marilyn Monroe in her first real film role [in The Asphalt Jungle], and I can’t claim to have had any notion of where she was headed,” Huston said. “But I could feel that she was going to be good in this film and I chose her over a number of others. Still, I didn’t dream of the places she would go.”
Monroe’s performance in the film, though brief, drew attention from critics and audiences alike, helping launch her career toward the superstardom that would soon make her an international symbol of American culture.
Recognizing Star Power
Huston compared the intangible quality he recognized in Monroe to spotting a champion horse in the paddock. “In certain instances, it stands out all over the individual,” he explained. “You look at an animal, and you know it is top class. It’s the same with certain persons—with an Ava Gardner, with a Humphrey Bogart, with a Katharine Hepburn. There’s no mistaking that quality when you see it.”
While the analogy may strike modern readers as unusual—Huston’s contemporary Alfred Hitchcock infamously referred to actors as “cattle”—it underscores the almost instinctual way great directors like Huston could identify performers destined to leave their mark.
From Bit Player to Icon
Though Monroe’s role in The Asphalt Jungle was small, it signaled the beginning of her rise. Just two years later, she landed more substantial parts in Clash by Night and Don’t Bother to Knock, before breaking through with Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953) and The Seven Year Itch (1955). Huston himself would direct Monroe again in The Misfits (1961), her final completed film before her untimely death the following year.
For Huston, that first meeting offered only a glimpse of Monroe’s potential. For audiences, it was the first chapter in the story of one of Hollywood’s most enduring legends.
Would you like me to expand this piece into a feature-style profile—connecting Huston’s instinct for Monroe to the broader theme of how directors shape Hollywood stars—or keep it as a straightforward historical snapshot of their first encounter?
