Blonde, the fictionalised biopic about Marilyn Monroe released on Netflix on September 28.

The plot of the film delves into how the actress dealt with her rise to fame in the 1950s after suffering through abuse in her childhood. What follows is a film about Monroe’s difficulties in managing her on-screen appearances with her own personal issues of love, exploitation, addiction and mood disorders. 

The film is based on a novel of the same name written by Joyce Carol Oates and published in 2000. Much like the book, the film presents a fictionalised account of the Hollywood icon’s life while using real people and their real backgrounds, which was subject to controversy at the time. 

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Marilyn Monroe’s relationship with John F. Kennedy was always open to speculation. Of course, this was spurned on by her singing a sultry “Happy Birthday” at Madison Square Garden for the Commander-in-Chief’s  45th birthday in May 1962. In August later that year, Monroe was found dead in her home in Los Angeles, having overdosed on barbiturates. 

Over the years, there was speculation that Monroe had been involved with Kennedy and his brother, Attorney General Bobby Kennedy. A Variety report suggests that Monroe had been involved in a sexual relationship with JFK as far back as the early 1950s. 

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In Blonde, Monroe’s relationship with JFK is presented with many liberties such as her being presented to the 35th US President as a piece of meat who proceeds to sexually assault her before having her carried out of the room. 

In reality, Monroe underwent an abortion in the summer of 1962. The incident led to speculation that she had been coerced into doing so by the Kennedy brothers. While these rumours were never confirmed, it was reported back in the day that Monroe had threated to hold a press conference revealing the nature of her relationship with the brothers. 

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Following her death in August that year, people began to speculate that her abortion and her death were related to the Kennedy’s and that the two brothers had assisted in her suicide to protect their political image.