Jane Fonda Says Marilyn Monroe Was ‘Too Scared’ to Perform in Acting Class

Jane Fonda and Marilyn Monroe embarked down distinct trajectories as leading actors in Hollywood, but the two stars were linked from the start of their careers. They met in the acting class of a famous teacher and remained friends as they progressed in the industry. Monroe became famous as a charismatic performer and a stylish sex symbol. But in those early classes, all Fonda saw of her was Norma Jeane Baker, the insecure woman desperate to transform her life on her terms. 

Jane Fonda and Marilyn Monroe were both stars admired for their talent and sex appeal

Jane Fonda was born into Hollywood royalty as the daughter of noted actor Henry Fonda. Her lineage may have helped her attain prominent roles early in her early career, as she became famous in the 1960s for roles in films like Barbarella. The Academy Award-winning star continues to act to this day in series like Grace & Frankie. However, many know her best for her lucrative workout tapes and political activism. 

Marilyn Monroe, meanwhile, broke out in the 1950s with films like Gentlemen Prefer Blondes and Some Like It Hot. But her status in the culture transcends her day job. Her looks and public personality made her one of the first modern celebrities. Her face became the subject of artwork worth hundreds of millions of dollars. And impersonators pay immense amounts of money to live in her former home. 

The flip side of idolatry is that all of the attention and outsized expectations can quickly become suffocating and warp a person’s self-image. This negatively affected Monroe’s mental health.

Jane Fonda notes Marilyn Monroe’s bombshell persona was not apparent in acting class

Lee Strasberg was a renowned acting teacher throughout the 20th century. It was in one of his classes where Fonda and Monroe met for the first time. On an episode of Oprah’s Master Class, Fonda revealed that Monroe sat next to her class and that she was very reserved when it came to performing in front of her fellow students. 

“She and I worked in the back of the room and she’d have no makeup on, dark sunglasses, and a scarf around her head. She was too scared to get up and do anything,” Fonda remembered. Monroe famously had an awful childhood where genuine love and care was scarce. Given her isolation as a kid, it’s understandable that she would get skittish about showing any vulnerability to the outside world. Those sorts of scars take a lot of work to heal. Monroe never got to that point. 

“She was extremely insecure—way more than me—and she didn’t have my resilience, unfortunately,” Fonda said of Monroe in an interview on The Howard Stern Show.

The two forged a valuable friendship out of mutual affection and shared trauma

Jane Fonda and Marilyn Monroe bonded over their shared experiences as young women attempting to make a name for themselves in the entertainment industry. Their traditional beauty made them icons and victims in equal measure. They both also had complicated relationships with their parents. Only the two of them know how much they talked about these situations in their lives. But their connection was clearly influenced by their grapplings with their own self-esteem. 

In a New York Times profile, Fonda reminisced on a cherished memory that exemplified Monroe’s feelings for her and the magnetic effect she had on others. “I think she liked me because she sensed my insecurities and she was drawn to vulnerable things,” she said. “I’ll never forget a party that Lee Strasberg gave and she came late, and she walked in and men there started to shake. I mean, they were physically excited and agitated by the fact that she was there. And she walked straight to me and wanted to talk.” 

Though Monroe died in 1962 of suicide, she remains a figure in pop culture. Despite many varied accounts, Fonda is still here to share what she was really like.