Famous Story: No One Recognized Marilyn Monroe, Then Asked Friend 'Do You Want Me To Be Her?'
Over the years, fans of Marilyn Monroe have obsessed over every detail of her life, captivated by her charm and ability to work a crowd.
One of Monroe’s closest friends was Amy Greene, the wife of Milton Greene, who was Monroe’s photographer.
Monroe lived with the Greene family for a period of time, finding comfort and isolation from the crowds in the seclusion of the Greene’s home.
While the story is unverified, Amy Greene has reportedly spoken of Monroe’s ability to snap “into character” on a whim — changing from an unrecognizable woman walking on the streets to the most famous woman on the planet in just a moment:
“I’ll never forget the day Marilyn and I were walking around New York City, just having a stroll on a nice day,” the famous quote goes.
“She loved New York because no one bothered her there like they did in Hollywood, she could put on her plain-jane clothes and no one would notice her. She loved that.”
As the pair made their way down Fifth Avenue discussing fame and all that came with it, Marylin turned to her friend and said “Do you want me to be her?”
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“Watch,” she said as she took off her headscarf and raincoat. In an instant, she transformed from plain Norma Jean into Marilyn Monroe.
“I don’t know how to explain what she did because it was so very subtle, but she turned something on within herself that was almost like magic. And suddenly cars were slowing and people were turning their heads and stopping to stare.
“They were recognizing that this was Marilyn Monroe as if she pulled off a mask or something, even though a second ago nobody noticed her.
“I had never seen anything like it before.”
While many great models and actresses have graced America’s stages in the years after Monroe’s untimely death, it does seem that Monroe had something extra — something rare and special that made feet stop and heads turn, something that makes us still love Marilyn even today.
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