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Marilyn Monroe warned Joan Collins about s-x predators in Hollywood
Dame Joan Collins has spoken out about her personal experiences of s**ual harassment in Hollywood in the wake of the Harvey Weinstein allegations.
In an interview on ITV’s This Morning, the 84-year-old actress revealed that she was warned by Marilyn Monroe about the “wolves in Hollywood”.
“She said, ‘not the power bosses honey. If they don’t get what they want they’ll drop your contract.
They’ve done it for lots of girls’,” Collins said.
Collins went on to describe the harassment she experienced throughout her career. When she was 21, a Hollywood boss pulled her top down at a party, leaving her humiliated.
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At a later party at Gene Kelly’s home, she sat down with Marilyn Monroe. “I was playing in the role in the Girl In the Red Velvet Swing,” she explained.
Monroe told her she didn’t get the role in Cleopatra because she was considered too old. “She told me, she said:
‘Watch out for the wolves in Hollywood honey.’ And I said I’ve been in British films for three years I can handle the wolves,” Collins recalled. Monroe warned her specifically to watch out for “Zanuck”.
Collins then claimed that director Darryl F. Zanuck grabbed her against the wall and said “the most horrible things to me”.
She said he had a gold paperweight made of his nether regions in his office, which was “supposedly the stuff of legend”.
Collins also described an incident in which an executive who offered to drive her home left her screaming in horror after he undid his trousers and grabbed her hand.
“He behaved totally inappropriately, he had undone himself and taken my hand,” she said.
“He insinuated that I would not get parts in movies if I remained a ‘rude, frigid little b’.”
Collins said that she lost out on the role of Cleopatra to Elizabeth Taylor because she resisted producers’ s**ual advances.
“I think a lot of people, not only in Hollywood, but in the British film industry are quaking in their boots,” she said. “Not only is it endemic, it’s accepted.
I have a grandchild who wants to be in showbiz and I don’t want her to have to go through what I had to go through.”
Following Collins’ interview, many in the industry have spoken out in support of her. Actress Jane Seymour said that she was “so proud” of Collins for speaking out. “I remember the days when I was a young girl starting out in the industry, and it was quite common for men to say ‘If you want the part you’ll have to sleep with me’,” Seymour said. “Joan is right that this kind of behaviour is endemic. But I hope that her words will inspire other people to speak out too.”
Former Coronation Street star Nicola Thorp said that Collins was “incredibly brave” for sharing her experiences.
“It takes a lot of courage to speak out about something like this, especially when you are a woman in a male-dominated industry,” Thorp said.
“I hope that her words will make people think twice before they try to exploit their power.”
Actor and comedian David Walliams also spoke out in support of Collins. “It’s deeply upsetting to hear that such a talented and respected actress has been subjected to this kind of behaviour,” he said.
“But it’s also inspiring to see how she has used her platform to speak out and raise awareness of this issue. We all have a responsibility to make sure that the industry is a safe and fair place for everyone.”
Many in the industry are calling for greater action to be taken to tackle sexual harassment and abuse.
Actress Emma Watson recently donated £1 million to the UK Justice and Equality Fund, which provides support to organizations working to end violence against women and promote gender equality.
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