--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Hollywood didn't kill Marilyn Monroe…" description: "\"Hollywood didn't kill Marilyn Monroe, it's the Marilyn Monroes who are killing Hollywood.\" — Billy Wilder" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ceb/billy-wilder-8818_hollywood_hollywood-didn-t-kill-marilyn-monroe-it_1068902.jpg" --- # Hollywood didn't kill Marilyn Monroe, it's the Marilyn… ![“Hollywood didn't kill Marilyn Monroe, it's the Marilyn Monroes who are killing Hollywood.” quote by Billy Wilder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ceb/billy-wilder-8818_hollywood_hollywood-didn-t-kill-marilyn-monroe-it_1068902.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ceb/billy-wilder-8818_hollywood_hollywood-didn-t-kill-marilyn-monroe-it_1068902.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ceb/billy-wilder-8818_hollywood_hollywood-didn-t-kill-marilyn-monroe-it_1068902.jpg) > “Hollywood didn't kill Marilyn Monroe, it's the Marilyn Monroes who are killing Hollywood.” [Billy Wilder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-wilder/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote suggests that the mythologized image of Marilyn Monroe, and similar icons, corrupts and undermines Hollywood's integrity. **In simple terms:** Hollywood is damaged by the exploitation of its own legends. Key Takeaway Beware of idolizing destructive personas. Themes culture media celebrity industry mythmaking Mood cynical reflective Type critical observational When to use this quote - film criticism - celebrity journalism - media analysis - industry reform Key Concepts iconography self‑destruction public perception Questions to Reflect On - How does celebrity myth affect artistic standards? - What responsibilities do creators have in shaping icons? A Different Perspective The quote may oversimplify complex industry dynamics and ignore systemic issues. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Hollywood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hollywood/) [Hollywood Didn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hollywood-didn-635584/) [Kill Marilyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kill-marilyn-2651658/) [Killing Hollywood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/killing-hollywood-2651657/) [Marilyn Monroes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/marilyn-monroes-2651659/) [Monroes Killing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/monroes-killing-2651660/) ## Related quotes > [They've tried to manufacture other Marilyn Monroes and they will undoubtedly keep trying. But it won't work. She was an original.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-wilder/they-ve-tried-to-manufacture-other-marilyn-monroes-and-they-will/) [Billy Wilder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-wilder/) > [I really thought Reagan was going to push the button and blow us all up. It was scary. So when they did the 1998…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brad-warner/i-really-thought-reagan-was-going-to-push-the-button-and-blow-us-all/) [Brad Warner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brad-warner/) > [I didn't grow up in a home that glorified Hollywood. We didn't watch TV. We didn't have a lot of magazines around.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evangeline-lilly/i-didn-t-grow-up-in-a-home-that-glorified-hollywood-we-didn-t-watch/) [Evangeline Lilly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evangeline-lilly/) > [We were bemused, I guess, when we got the call from Hollywood. We didn't know anything about the entertainment industry or even what a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-horn/we-were-bemused-i-guess-when-we-got-the-call-from-hollywood-we-didn-t/) [Thomas Horn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-horn/) > [My own mum cared about Hollywood, and I didn't. I wanted to act, and I loved the creativity of it, but I didn't care…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/drew-barrymore/my-own-mum-cared-about-hollywood-and-i-didn-t-i-wanted-to-act-and-i/) [Drew Barrymore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/drew-barrymore/) > [A lot of nudity in my early movies was out of necessity. When I came out to Hollywood, I didn't know anybody, I didn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amber-heard/a-lot-of-nudity-in-my-early-movies-was-out-of-necessity-when-i-came/) [Amber Heard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amber-heard/) > [The truth is that I got to Hollywood, and I didn't know what to do once I got there.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-capaldi/the-truth-is-that-i-got-to-hollywood-and-i-didn-t-know-what-to-do/) [Peter Capaldi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-capaldi/) > [With 'Women in Hollywood,' I didn't direct it, but I produced it, and what we did is followed the money of Hollywood and how…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rory-kennedy/with-women-in-hollywood-i-didn-t-direct-it-but-i-produced-it-and-what/) [Rory Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rory-kennedy/) > [Hollywood didn't know if I was an actor or a nut or if I was this crazy character I was playing. I had developed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicolas-cage/hollywood-didn-t-know-if-i-was-an-actor-or-a-nut-or-if-i-was-this/) [Nicolas Cage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicolas-cage/) > [I'm the only actress in Hollywood who didn't pay to have these lips.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sandra-bernhard/i-m-the-only-actress-in-hollywood-who-didn-t-pay-to-have-these-lips/) [Sandra Bernhard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sandra-bernhard/) > [“the casting had been typically Hollywood: they didn't look or act a bit alike.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-pynchon/the-casting-had-been-typically-hollywood-they-didn-t-look-or-act-a/) [Thomas Pynchon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-pynchon/) > [I consider my relationship with acting in Hollywood as sort of a mutual breakup. Through puberty, Hollywood didn't really want me anymore, and I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mara-wilson/i-consider-my-relationship-with-acting-in-hollywood-as-sort-of-a/) [Mara Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mara-wilson/) > [When I got to Hollywood I didn't know anything about the business and you don't make the best of friends. You make a few…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mischa-barton/when-i-got-to-hollywood-i-didn-t-know-anything-about-the-business-and/) [Mischa Barton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mischa-barton/) > [I'm a painter, really. To be successful, you have to go to Hollywood, and I didn't like to travel.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-r-giger/i-m-a-painter-really-to-be-successful-you-have-to-go-to-hollywood-and/) [H. R. Giger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-r-giger/) > [Hollywood is very much an industry town. Your life becomes caught up in all of the parties and this list and that list. That's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-johnson/hollywood-is-very-much-an-industry-town-your-life-becomes-caught-up/) [Don Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-johnson/) ## More by Billy Wilder > [If there's anything I hate more than not being taken seriously, it's being taken too seriously.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-wilder/if-there-s-anything-i-hate-more-than-not-being-taken-seriously-it-s/) [Billy Wilder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-wilder/) > [I just always think, 'Do I like it?' And if I like it, maybe other people will come and like it too.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-wilder/i-just-always-think-do-i-like-it-and-if-i-like-it-maybe-other-people/) [Billy Wilder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-wilder/) > [Helen: You've got talent and ambition. Don: Talent? Ambition? That's dead long ago. That's drowned. That's drifting around with a bloated belly on a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-wilder/helen-you-ve-got-talent-and-ambition-don-talent-ambition-that-s-dead/) [Billy Wilder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-wilder/) > [An actor entering through the door, you've got nothing. But if he enters through the window, you've got a situation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-wilder/an-actor-entering-through-the-door-you-ve-got-nothing-but-if-he/) [Billy Wilder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-wilder/) > [I hate that word. It's return--a return to the millions of people who've never forgiven me for deserting the screen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-wilder/i-hate-that-word-it-s-return-a-return-to-the-millions-of-people-who/) [Billy Wilder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-wilder/) > [The more subtle and elegant you are in hiding your plot points, the better you are as a writer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-wilder/the-more-subtle-and-elegant-you-are-in-hiding-your-plot-points-the/) [Billy Wilder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-wilder/) > [When Chaplin found a voice to say what was on his mind, he was like a child of eight writing lyrics for Beethoven's Ninth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-wilder/when-chaplin-found-a-voice-to-say-what-was-on-his-mind-he-was-like-a/) [Billy Wilder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-wilder/) > [I, you know, am all over the place — every category of pictures I have made, good, bad or indifferent. I could not make,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-wilder/i-you-know-am-all-over-the-place-every-category-of-pictures-i-have/) [Billy Wilder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-wilder/) > [Love is the hardest thing in the world to write about. So simple. You've got to catch it through details, like the early morning…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-wilder/love-is-the-hardest-thing-in-the-world-to-write-about-so-simple-you/) [Billy Wilder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-wilder/) > [If you don't like what you're doing, it's unlikely anyone else will either, so be sure you are happy with your own work first.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-wilder/if-you-don-t-like-what-you-re-doing-it-s-unlikely-anyone-else-will/) [Billy Wilder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-wilder/) > [I have ten commandments. The first nine are, thou shalt not bore. The tenth is, thou shalt have right of final cut.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-wilder/i-have-ten-commandments-the-first-nine-are-thou-shalt-not-bore-the/) [Billy Wilder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-wilder/) > [I just made pictures I would've liked to see.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-wilder/i-just-made-pictures-i-would-ve-liked-to-see/) [Billy Wilder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-wilder/) > [Money makes even bastards legitimate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-wilder/money-makes-even-bastards-legitimate/) [Billy Wilder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-wilder/) > [After so many drive-in waitresses becoming movie stars, there has been this real drought, when along come class; somebody who actually went to school,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-wilder/after-so-many-drive-in-waitresses-becoming-movie-stars-there-has-been/) [Billy Wilder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-wilder/) > [I'm delighted with it, because it used to be that films were the lowest form of art. Now we've got something to look down…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-wilder/i-m-delighted-with-it-because-it-used-to-be-that-films-were-the/) [Billy Wilder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-wilder/) [Explore all 77 Billy Wilder quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-wilder/) ## More Hollywood quotes > [Hollywood is very much an industry town. Your life becomes caught up in all of the parties and this list and that list. That's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-johnson/hollywood-is-very-much-an-industry-town-your-life-becomes-caught-up/) [Don Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-johnson/) > [I love casting against type and doing things you wouldn't expect, because I think you get more interesting performances that way. Hollywood loves to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-s-goyer/i-love-casting-against-type-and-doing-things-you-wouldn-t-expect/) [David S. Goyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-s-goyer/) > [Why did Erich von Stronheim leave Germany? Why did Hitchcock leave England? If you were a director you'd like to work in Hollywood too.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roman-polanski/why-did-erich-von-stronheim-leave-germany-why-did-hitchcock-leave/) [Roman Polanski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roman-polanski/) > [Hollywood is so fixated on keeping it that way because it's generating the buzz, but that representation isn't right. I definitely feel like it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-boyega/hollywood-is-so-fixated-on-keeping-it-that-way-because-it-s/) [John Boyega](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-boyega/) > [In the movie, the stars above the ship bear no correspondence to any constellations in a real sky. Worse yet, while the heroine bobs...…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-degrasse-tyson/in-the-movie-the-stars-above-the-ship-bear-no-correspondence-to-any/) [Neil deGrasse Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-degrasse-tyson/) > [“Artist Matthew Barney has made a film about “shit”. It is hardly original. Hollywood has made shit films for decades.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-cavanagh/artist-matthew-barney-has-made-a-film-about-shit-it-is-hardly/) [Dean Cavanagh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-cavanagh/) > [If you can believe it, Hollywood wanted to change my birthdate. I was born after Valentine's Day, so they wanted to change it to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cesar-romero/if-you-can-believe-it-hollywood-wanted-to-change-my-birthdate-i-was/) [Cesar Romero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cesar-romero/) > [In a lot of movies, African-Americans are either maids or slaves, but that's not all they were. We need to show that. And we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allison-schroeder/in-a-lot-of-movies-african-americans-are-either-maids-or-slaves-but/) [Allison Schroeder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allison-schroeder/) > [“I'm always looking for evidence to support my conjecture that celebrity in Hollywood is sort of like a Joel Peter Witkin photograph: It looks…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cintra-wilson/i-m-always-looking-for-evidence-to-support-my-conjecture-that/) [Cintra Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cintra-wilson/) > [I came to Hollywood to be a movie song-and-dance man just at the time those films were going out of style.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-berry/i-came-to-hollywood-to-be-a-movie-song-and-dance-man-just-at-the-time/) [Ken Berry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-berry/) > [Writing is the life blood of everything in Hollywood. Without writers, there are no scripts, no acting work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ali-wong/writing-is-the-life-blood-of-everything-in-hollywood-without-writers/) [Ali Wong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ali-wong/) > [Popular culture as a whole is popular, but in today's fragmented market it's a jostle of competing unpopular popular cultures. As the critic Stanley…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-steyn/popular-culture-as-a-whole-is-popular-but-in-today-s-fragmented/) [Mark Steyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-steyn/) > [Hollywood regency never goes out of style.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lara-spencer/hollywood-regency-never-goes-out-of-style/) [Lara Spencer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lara-spencer/) > [Washington is a Hollywood for ugly people. Hollywood is a Washington for the simpleminded.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-mccain/washington-is-a-hollywood-for-ugly-people-hollywood-is-a-washington/) [John McCain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-mccain/) > [What is accurately portrayed is the rich humanity not just of Martin Luther King but of the movement, which was a multiracial movement. You…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornel-west/what-is-accurately-portrayed-is-the-rich-humanity-not-just-of-martin/) [Cornel West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornel-west/) [Browse all 4,991 Hollywood quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hollywood/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Hollywood didn't kill Marilyn Monroe, it's the Marilyn Monroes who are killing Hollywood.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Billy Wilder" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-wilder/hollywood-didn-t-kill-marilyn-monroe-it-s-the-marilyn-monroes-who-are/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Hollywood" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-wilder/hollywood-didn-t-kill-marilyn-monroe-it-s-the-marilyn-monroes-who-are/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ceb/billy-wilder-8818_hollywood_hollywood-didn-t-kill-marilyn-monroe-it_1068902.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ceb/billy-wilder-8818_hollywood_hollywood-didn-t-kill-marilyn-monroe-it_1068902.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ceb/billy-wilder-8818_hollywood_hollywood-didn-t-kill-marilyn-monroe-it_1068902.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Hollywood didn't kill Marilyn Monroe, it's the Marilyn Monroes who are killing Hollywood.” — Billy Wilder", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Billy Wilder", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-wilder/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Hollywood didn't kill Marilyn Monroe, it's...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-wilder/hollywood-didn-t-kill-marilyn-monroe-it-s-the-marilyn-monroes-who-are/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-wilder/hollywood-didn-t-kill-marilyn-monroe-it-s-the-marilyn-monroes-who-are/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```