Dame Joan Collins has spoken about her experiences with predators in the film industry and the advice Marilyn Monroe gave her.
The legendary actress, 90, appeared on Good Morning Britain on Tuesday to talk about her new memoir, Behind The Shoulder Pads – Stories I Tell My Friends.
She spoke about how young actresses constantly struggled with predatory behavior from actors and producers, so much so that it became the norm.
Joan revealed that she had been advised by famous actress Marilyn back in 1955 after Joan was cast in the role of Evelyn Nesbitt in The Girl in the Red Velvet Swing.
She recalled: “I was in Gene Kelly’s house, which was full of intellectual people, talking about things that were way over my head at just 21 years old.”
Candid: Dame Joan Collins has spoken openly about her experiences with predators in the film industry and the advice Marilyn Monroe gave her
Alright: The legendary actress, 90, appeared on Good Morning Britain on Tuesday to talk about her new memoir, Behind The Shoulder Pads – Stories I Tell My Friends
Wisdom: Joan revealed that she received advice from famous actress Marilyn back in 1955 after Joan was cast as Evelyn Nesbitt in The Girl in the Red Velvet Swing
“Marilyn sat at the bar with no makeup on and drank a martini. She said, “I heard you played the role I was supposed to play, but I was too old.”
Joan continued: “Then she said, ‘Beware of the wolves of Hollywood.’ I said, ‘Oh, I’ll take care of the wolves, we had them in the English film industry.’
“Marilyn said, “Not the Hollywood type, darling. If they don’t like you, they cancel your contract, that’s what happened to a lot of young girls.”
“I said, ‘I’ll just avoid them.’ I was good at avoiding them because my father was an agent and he told me, ‘One of the best things you can do is to avoid a predatory man.’ , is to laugh at him!”
Presenters Susanna Reid and Richard Madeley noted that there are still instances of this behavior in the current film industry.
Joan replied, “Not to the same extent.” Not in the business, it was just seen as a divine right to sleep with your leading lady.
“George Peppard, Richard Burton, Richard Todd. They just saw it as meat for me. And if they weren’t, the producers were. So I don’t think it’s nearly as bad.’
She described an incident that occurred when she was a teenager when a producer made unwanted advances toward her.
Horrible: Joan spoke about how young actresses constantly had to contend with predatory behavior from actors and producers, so much so that it became the norm (pictured in 1960)
Title: Joan said it was worse as an actor back then, Richard Burton (pictured with Joan in 1857’s Sea Wife) saw it as a “divine right to sleep with his leading lady”.
She explained: “It was in England with a producer and I was only 17. He chased me around the corner and said, ‘Do you really want this part?’ and I said, ‘I really do!’
“Then he said, ‘Well then you have to be nice to me.’ That was her euphemism. That’s why the wardrobe people always hid me in the closet as he snuck down the hall to put me in his car. And one day he actually got me in his car.’
Joan added: “We all got together, it was the sisterhood of young Hollywood actresses.” I spoke to an older actress about it.
“I said, ‘What do you do with all these men slapping you on the cheek and saying these things?’
“And she said, ‘You have to deal with it because it’s part of the job.’ And that’s what we did.”
Joan discussed the roles she would have liked to have played in her career and revealed that she was up for the role of Cleopatra in the 1963 film.
She said, “I would really like to play Cleopatra.” I tested it three times and went through the predatory men again, this time the CEOs and bosses of 20th Century Fox.
“I tested it with all these terrible actors – to say they were made of wood would be unkind to trees.”
“Then the whole budget went crazy and they decided they couldn’t have me and went with the biggest star in the world, Elizabeth Taylor, which was fine.”
Predators: She described an incident that occurred as a teenager when a producer made unwanted advances toward her (pictured in 1955)