Ellen Burstyn Remembers ‘Luminous’ Marilyn

Oscar-winning actress Ellen Burstyn, 86, is a lifelong member of the Actors Studio and has often spoken of her admiration for Marilyn. “I met Marilyn Monroe only once,” she tells AARP. “She was a luminous character, a radiant being. She reflected light. She was always reading. That whole Marilyn character — she created. Students who saw her scene from Anna Christie in class say it was one of the greatest performances of all time.” Ellen, currently appearing in Pieces of a Woman on Netflix, previously mentioned Marilyn in a 2019 interview for the Vulture website, and in a 2013 New York Post piece about the documentary, Love, Marilyn, in which Ellen was one of many luminaries to read extracts from Marilyn’s letters, journals and poetry.