Marilyn Monroe's Take on Hollywood

"Hollywood is a place where they'll pay you a thousand dollars for a kiss and fifty cents for your soul."

Marilyn Monroe's Quotes - One of the most enduring sex symbols of our time, Marilyn Monroe continues to capture our imagination decades later. Michelle Williams was nominated for her portrayal of Monroe in My Week With Marilyn by the Oscars and Megan Hilty channels her every Monday night on the television hit, SMASH.

If only Monroe's own life had been that glamorous or fulfilling. She had trained under famed acting coach Lee Strasberg and was extremely serious about her craft. But her legion of fans continued to demand she appear in roles that were really beneath her abilities and studios, anxious to make a buck, were only too happy to oblige. After a series of dumb blond B movie roles, she finally broke into the big time in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes and How to Marry a Millionaire. Sadly, her attempts at being cast in serious roles were largely ignored by casting directors. She was too valuable to the studios in comedies and The Misfits, Clark Gable's last film, was the closest she would come to the serious dramatic role she so coveted. Her last role was as Ellen Wagstaff Arden in Something's Got to Give. She was fired from the movie and it was never completed. The price on her own soul too great, she died of a drug overdose a couple weeks later.