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At Venice, Ellen Burstyn Reflects on Playing Marilyn Monroe and a Lifetime in Movies

From Asharq Al-Awsat · () English

Summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

In-depth Named sources Context piece
  • Ellen Burstyn, 93, is premiering the short film “Flesh Impact” at the Venice Film Festival, where she will receive a Golden Lion for lifetime achievement.
  • The film casts Burstyn as Marilyn Monroe at 100, auditioning alone on stage, in an idea developed by director Maggie Gyllenhaal.
  • Burstyn also discussed Monroe, her changing experiences on film sets, and her role in Kornél Mundruczó’s feature “Place to Be.”

Ellen Burstyn never met Marilyn Monroe, who died at 36, yet a short film premiering in Venice asks the 93-year-old actor to play Monroe at 100. The 17-minute “Flesh Impact” will have its world premiere at the Venice Film Festival, where Burstyn is also receiving a Golden Lion for lifetime achievement.

It sounded like a good idea to me.

· Ellen BurstynShe recalled her reaction to Maggie Gyllenhaal’s proposal that she play Marilyn Monroe at 100.

The idea came from Maggie Gyllenhaal, who visited Burstyn’s apartment with what she called a wild proposal. Monroe, imagined at 100, would be doing “basically the most vulnerable, one of the most vulnerable things I think an actor can do, which is audition, alone on a stage.” Burstyn was the first actor Gyllenhaal thought of.

Burstyn’s connection to Monroe was indirect but unusually personal. They shared a massage therapist, who told Burstyn stories about his late friend and lent her one of Monroe’s old books, “The Thinking Body,” with old receipts still inside. He also told Burstyn that she resembled Monroe in some ways. Burstyn said she understood that Monroe’s public image was something the actor had deliberately created: “She created the whole concept of Marilyn Monroe and played it.”

She created the whole concept of Marilyn Monroe and played it.

· Ellen BurstynBurstyn described Monroe’s public persona as something Monroe deliberately created.

Burstyn once saw Monroe in a nightclub, where Monroe nodded at her. At the time, Burstyn was early in her career and felt honored that Monroe appeared to recognize her. She and Gyllenhaal later found a shared approach to acting. “We are interested in the depth of what’s being revealed. And we both want to go there,” Burstyn said.

We are interested in the depth of what’s being revealed. And we both want to go there.

· Ellen BurstynShe explained the shared acting approach she found with Gyllenhaal.

The film emerged through Genesis, whose chief marketing officer, Amy Marentic, approached Gyllenhaal about a project tied to what would have been Monroe’s 100th birthday. Burstyn also said that working with a largely female crew differed sharply from the industry she entered. She recalled that women were once absent from crews and behind the camera. At Venice, she is also appearing in Kornél Mundruczó’s “Place to Be” alongside Taika Waititi, an experience she described as “slightly overwhelmed” and that prompted her to ask why she deserved it.

I have been asking myself, why do I deserve t

· Ellen BurstynThe supplied article ends during Burstyn’s comment about feeling overwhelmed by the Venice events.
About this summary

Originally published by Asharq Al-Awsat. Summarized and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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