2. Despite being a huge star, Marilyn Monroe was typically underpaid for her work. She was paid about $100,000 for her unfinished performance in Something’s Got To Give, while Elizabeth Taylor was paid $1 million for her role in Cleopatra around the same time.
It’s interesting to think about why this may have been the case. Was her agent not up to snuff, or were studios just not willing to pay her well? Then again, the money she and Elizabeth Taylor were making back then would be a lot more in today’s times, but still.
It’s crazy to think that one of Hollywood’s—and history’s—biggest stars was so poorly treated, and undervalued financially. Old Hollywood sure was brutal to its female stars, huh? Not that this has changed entirely in Hollywood today, but at least conditions have improved with time. There was nowhere to go but up it seems.
