Michelle, of course, plays Marilyn Monroe. Many of you don’t think, physically at least, that they cast the part properly. Ultimately though it’s about the acting. And here’s a chance to see whether or not Michelle can deliver. Thoughts?
The people who don’t feel it are the ones who are complaining that she’s “not Marilyn, doesn’t look like her, doesn’t act like her”. But I wonder - are you referring to the Marilyn who gets her skirt blown up over a air shaft? Because I think that’s the easy part. That’s the part Scarlett Johansson could perform. But Marilyn was as famously vulnerable as she was sexy, as insecure as she was charming, as weak as she was charismatic. And Michelle Williams, well, she specialises in those other attributes in a way that some of her peers may not be able to manage.
Here’s the thing about these biopics - do you want to see a mimic or do you want to see the actor capture the essence/spirit/whatever of the icon they are playing? This was my problem with the short clip we’ve been given so far from The Iron Lady featuring Meryl Streep as Margaret Thatcher. It was a caricature. Blasphemy, I know, but I think I prefer Michelle’s interpretation of Marilyn, from these two minutes at least, because it doesn’t feel like a straight up imitation. I mean, I don’t love the generic way they’ve presented this trailer, not at all, but I do think it’s enough of an encouraging glimpse at what could be an extraordinary performance by an actress who’s been building towards it for a long time. Thoughts?
