In the early summer of 1956, 23-year-old Colin Clark, just down from Oxford and determined to make his way in the film business, worked as a lowly assistant on the set of The Prince and the Showgirl, the film that famously united Sir Laurence Olivier and Marilyn Monroe, who was also on honeymoon with her new husband, the playwright Arthur Miller.
Nearly 40 years on, his diary account The Prince, the Showgirl and Me was published, but one week was missing, and this was published some years later as My Week with Marilyn. This is the story of that week. When Arthur Miller leaves England, the coast is clear for Colin to introduce Marilyn to some of the pleasures of British life: an idyllic week in which he escorted a Monroe desperate to get away from her retinue of Hollywood hangers-on and the pressures of work.
About the Film
My Week with Marilyn is a British drama film directed by Simon Curtis and written by Adrian Hodges. It stars Michelle Williams, Kenneth Branagh, Eddie Redmayne, Dougray Scott and Judi Dench. Based on two books by Colin Clark, it depicts the making of the 1957 film The Prince and the Showgirl, which starred Marilyn Monroe (Williams) and Laurence Olivier (Kenneth Branagh).
The film focuses on the week in which Monroe spent time being escorted around Britain by Clark (Redmayne), after her husband, Arthur Miller (Scott), left the country. Principal photography began on 4 October 2010 at Pinewood Studios. Filming took place at Saltwood Castle, White Waltham Airfield and on locations in and around London. Curtis also used the same studio in which Monroe shot The Prince and the Showgirl in 1956. My Week with Marilyn had its world premiere at the New York Film Festival on 9 October 2011 and was shown at the Mill Valley Film Festival two days later. The film will be released in the United States on 23 November 2011 and on 25 November in the United Kingdom.
Characters
Michelle Williams as Marilyn Monroe
Kenneth Branagh as Sir Laurence Olivier
Eddie Redmayne as Colin Clark
Judi Dench as Dame Sybil Thorndike
Emma Watson as Lucy
Dougray Scott as Arthur Miller
Dominic Cooper as Milton H. Greene
Julia Ormond as Vivien Leigh
Derek Jacobi as Sir Owen Morshead
Zoë Wanamaker as Paula Strasberg
Richard Clifford as Richard Wattis
Production Development
My Week with Marilyn is based on Colin Clark’s The Prince, The Showgirl and Me and My Week with Marilyn; two diary accounts, which explore his time on the set of The Prince and the Showgirl and the time he spent with Monroe. The screenplay has been adapted and written by Adrian Hodges. The film is directed by Simon Curtis and it is his feature debut. David Parfitt will produce the film, which is being financed by The Weinstein Company and BBC Films.
Michelle Williams as Marilyn Monroe and Dougray Scott as Arthur Miller on set in Mayfair, London. In August 2009, Scarlett Johansson became the frontrunner to play Marilyn Monroe in the film. Kate Hudson, Amy Adams and Michelle Williams were also named as potential candidates for Monroe. Three months later, it was revealed that Williams was in talks for the role. Williams was the only actress that producers met with during casting, despite the other actresses being considered for the role.
Williams told Adam Green of Vogue that the notion of playing Monroe was daunting, but as she finished reading the script, she knew she wanted the role. The actress then spent six months reading biographies, diaries, letters, poems, and notes about and from Monroe. She also looked at photographs, watched her films and listened to recordings. Williams had to gain weight for the role and she worked with a choreographer to help perfect Monroe’s walk.
More than forty actors auditioned for the role of Clark, among them was James Jagger, who began talks with producers in May 2010. In September, it was announced that Eddie Redmayne had been cast as Clark. Parfitt told the Daily Mail that finding an actor for the role had been difficult. He said “It’s a devilishly tricky part to find the right person for because Colin went to Eton, studied at Oxford and flew for the RAF.”
That same month, it was also announced that Harry Potter actress Emma Watson had been cast in the small role of wardrobe assistant, Lucy. Watson was scheduled to spend only a few days on set shooting her scenes to prevent her studies at Brown University being interrupted. Kenneth Branagh began talks with producers for the role of Laurence Olivier in July 2010 after Ralph Fiennes had to pull out to direct his adaptation of Coriolanus. Branagh was later cast in the role.
Dominic Cooper was given the role of Milton H. Greene, a photographer and Monroe’s business partner. Of Greene, Cooper said “He was quite an old man, but they had a very close relationship. I think Marilyn felt very supported by him in the beginning. But ultimately he became her agent and business partner, which is rather a lot.” Cooper filmed his scenes in between his work on Captain America: The First Avenger. Catherine Zeta-Jones was approached by executives at The Weinstein Company to appear in the film as the actress Vivien Leigh. Zeta-Jones turned down the role as she did not want to spend a week or more away from her husband, Michael Douglas, who was being treated for throat cancer. Curtis and the producers began auditioning other actresses and they later cast Julia Ormond in the role.
Ormond’s casting was announced at the same time as Dougray Scott’s, who portrays Arthur Miller. Derek Jacobi was cast as Sir Owen Morshead, the royal librarian at Windsor Castle, Philip Jackson plays Monroe’s private detective and Judi Dench plays Sybil Thorndike. Zoë Wanamaker is Paula Strasberg, the actress’ acting consultant and Richard Clifford was cast as Richard Wattis, the actor who played a courtier in The Prince and the Showgirl. The film also stars Toby Jones, Philip Jackson, Geraldine Somerville and Simon Russell Beale. It was announced on 8 October 2010, that casting on the film had been completed.
Filming Locations
Judi Dench filmed her scenes in September 2010 as she had to go to India to begin work on another project. Principal photography began at the Pinewood Studios on 4 October 2010. On 7 October, White Waltham Airfield was turned into a 1950s London Heathrow Airport, to recreate the moment when Monroe arrives in Britain for filming. British Cinematographer reported the production shot at Saltwood Castle, where Clark had grown up.
Filming also took place on locations in and around London. These included a house near Windsor, which Monroe and Miller lived in during their stay in England. Curtis used the same studio in which Monroe shot The Prince and the Showgirl in 1956 and Williams was given the dressing room Monroe had used at the time of the shoot. The shoot lasted for seven weeks and was completed in late November 2010.
Music
The film’s original score was composed by American film composer and orchestrator, Conrad Pope. On 23 August 2011, Film Music Reporter announced Alexandre Desplat had written a piece of music for the film called “Marilyn’s Theme”. Pope adapted the theme into his score.
Pianist Lang Lang also features on the score. Songs such as “Autumn Leaves”, “When Love Goes Wrong”, “Heat Wave” and “Memories Are Made of This” are included on the soundtrack, which is released digitally on 1 November 2011.
My Week with Marilyn
Directed by: Simon Curtis
Starring: Michelle Williams, Eddie Redmayne, Emma Watson, Kenneth Branagh, Judi Dench, Dominic Cooper, Miranda Raison, Geraldine Somerville
Screenplay by: Simon Curtis
Production Design by: Donal Woods
Cinematography by: Ben Smithard
Film Editing by: Adam Recht
Costume Design by: Jill Taylor
Set Decoration by: Judy Farr
Art Direction by: Charmian Adam, Mark Kebby
Music by: Conrad Pope
MPAA Rating: R for some language.
Studio: The Weinstein Company
Release Date: November 23, 2011
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