Bruce Dern Recalls Rainy Walk with Marilyn Monroe and Greta Garbo Encounter

Bruce Dern recalls rainy walk with Marilyn Monroe, surprise encounter with Greta Garbo

Washington DC, June 1

During the screening of the documentary Dernsie: The Amazing Life of Bruce Dern, the 89-year-old actor reflected on his interactions with some of the biggest stars of Hollywood's golden era.

Recalling a day at The Actors Studio, Dern said Monroe had come to observe sessions after being invited by acting coach Lee Strasberg.

"It's raining outside. I'm at The Actors Studio. I come out of The Actors Studio, and it's drizzling and Marilyn is there because Lee Strasberg allowed her to come and watch what we were doing," Dern remembered, according to People.

According to Dern, Monroe told him she could not take part in an upcoming project because she was committed to another film.

"And she said, 'You know the movie you're going to do now? I can't do because my dumb husband wrote this dumb cowboy script I have to do, so I can't do it,'" Dern recalled, according to People.

Monroe was apparently referring to The Misfits (1961), written by her then-husband, playwright Arthur Miller. The film would become Monroe's final completed feature and starred Clark Gable.

Dern noted that actor Lee Remick eventually joined him in the 1960 film Wild River instead.

As rain continued to fall and taxis were nowhere in sight, Monroe made an unusual request.

"It's drizzling and there's no cabs going by 44th Street and way over near 10th Avenue," Dern said. "And she said, 'Would you walk me across town?'"

Although he suggested taking a cab, Monroe preferred to walk through the rain.

"We walked all the way across town, three-quarters of a mile," Dern said, according to People.

The memorable walk became even more remarkable when the pair approached Sutton Place, near Monroe's residence.

"We get to Sutton Place, which is where she turned into where she lived, and as we approach Sutton Place, a cab comes out of Sutton Place and a woman is running behind it," Dern recalled.

The woman hurried past them and caught Monroe's attention.

"When I turned to Marilyn, she was looking. She says, 'Bruce, Bruce, don't you know who that was?'"

Dern admitted he did not recognise the woman.

"Bruce, that was Greta Garbo. And she didn't know who I was," Monroe told him.

Dern responded by reassuring the Hollywood icon.

"And I said, 'You know what, Marilyn? I think she shined you on. She probably knew who you were.'"

Monroe, however, disagreed.

"She said, 'Those women don't recognise Marilyn Monroe because they were stylists.' And I guess you would call her kind of a stylist," Dern added.

The actor said stories like these were among the reasons he agreed to participate in Dernsie: The Amazing Life of Bruce Dern, a documentary directed by Mike Mendez.

The film features appearances by Bruce Dern's daughter, Laura Dern, as well as Quentin Tarantino and Alexander Payne.

"That's why I did the movie, because somebody's got to hear about what these folks did. We're never going to have stars like that again," Dern said, according to People.

Dernsie: The Amazing Life of Bruce Dern premiered at the Cannes Film Festival and is yet to receive an official release date, according to People.

— ANI