Elia Kazan on Marilyn Monroe: Our Arms Are Empty
![](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fbucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb828f4af-acef-43dd-b2ef-dff62e9d1914_500x678.jpeg)
Interview with Elia KazanConducted by James Grissom
We are going to talk about and think about Marilyn [Monroe] for the rest of time, and we should. We're going to talk about and think about her because, while she would like to be remembered as an actress and a human being who was a woman, we are going to remember her as a lesson in abuse, neglect, and greed. We threw away a person, a life, and the opportunities that her growth and happiness would have provided for all of us. We share in glory and grief with others--learn this and remember this--and here is a horrible and public reminder in a beautiful woman of what happens when we forget that and ask for the creamy reward of a quick turnaround and a quicker exit. We fall asleep and remember the deaths and the tragedies and for me--for most people who knew Marilyn--her face and her life and her exit--flit across our minds. We didn't reach out soon enough, and our arms are empty.
© 2014 James Grissom