Jessica Chastain is said to be circling the role of Marilyn Monroe in a new adaptation of Joyce Carol Oates’ 2000 fake memoir, “Blonde.” She’d replace Naomi Watts, who must have had her fill of tragic fair-haired icons after starring in “Diana” last year.
You can see the appeal: A good biopic role can turn into an Oscar jackpot.
And then there’s the lure of Marilyn herself — Chastain would join a longish roster of Marilyn impersonators, including Poppy Montgomery, who played the part in an earlier adaptation of “Blonde” for CBS.
Then Montgomery went on to more exciting projects, like, er, the “Unforgettable” TV series, so really, doors could open for Chastain! Even Lindsay Lohan went for the Monroe gold, recreating a famous shot for the cover of New York magazine. Weirdly, there was no follow-up careerwise.
The most critically acclaimed portrayal so far may be that of Michelle Williams in “My Week with Marilyn,” set around the time Monroe made 1957’s “The Prince and the Showgirl.”
This is a well-crafted, perfectly respectable bit of acting, but some of us prefer sinking our fangs into more trash-campy fare, preferably with two versions of the star duking it out. And by that, we of course refer to “Norma Jean and Marilyn” in which Ashley Judd played the first and Mira Sorvino the second. Tears, pills, histrionics: yes!
Two really is a magic number for Marilyn.
NBC’s short-lived series “Smash” came up with an entire fake Broadway show about Monroe, called “Bombshell” (we’re still waiting for the cast album). In a great bit of backstage backbiting, two actresses competed for the part in the show-within-a-show: Megan Hilty, who was so right, and Katharine McPhee, who was so wrong.
Yet the single most famous Monroe tribute ever isn’t from an actress but from a pop star: Madonna’s recreation of the “Diamonds Are a Girl’s Best Friend” number in the “Material Girl” video.
Icons: Maybe it takes one to play one.