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the set and not participants. The Oliviers, Laurence and Vivien, are a special case, treated like royalty and spoken of in hushed tones. Olivier is always referred to as ‘Sir’, although not to his face. Lady Olivier is called ‘Vivien’, even to her face – but, oh, with what respect and awe.
    Big Hollywood stars are treated with complete nonchalance, but
each one is given an approval rating in the endless gossip which takes place while the crew is waiting for them to appear. Marilyn is different altogether. She is now so famous, and it is so tempting to look at her, that everyone avoids her gaze as if she had the evil eye. I am not sure if she is too happy about this. She obviously does not have much self-confidence, and I think she prefers a group of men to applaud and smile when she walks into a room, rather than to look away.
    Whatever they may pretend they are doing, however, every man and woman in Studio A is keeping one eye on Marilyn every moment she is there. They can’t resist, and endless Marilyn stories, Marilyn rumours and Marilyn jokes make the rounds. On the mornings when she does not show up, the crew get slack and sit around with glum faces, like children who have not been invited to a party.
    This morning, for lack of anything else to amuse them, they’ve decided it’s time to tease Colin.
    â€˜Colin is Marilyn’s new boyfriend, I hear.’
    â€˜Just barges into her dressing room for a chat any time he likes, they say.’
    â€˜And how does Larry feel about that, I wonder.’
    â€˜He ’s jealous.’
    â€˜Of him, or of her?’
    Gales of laughter.
    â€˜Look,’ I said, ‘“Sir” simply told me to ask Miss Monroe whether she was coming to the studio today, so I knocked on her dressing-room door and asked her, and she said “No.” That was all there was to it.’
    â€˜Oh? Norman [one of the hair stylists] said you were in there for ten minutes. Plenty of time for a cuddle.’
    â€˜Oh, yes. A cuddle with Paula, I suppose you mean. She was in there too. I presume Norman will confirm that.’
    Jack Cardiff, the lighting cameraman, who has worked on such films as The Red Shoes and The African Queen, walked over to see what the fuss was about. Jack is the only person on the set who
treats Marilyn like a chum. As a result he is the one crew member to whom she can relate, and certainly the only Englishman she trusts. In return he uses all his artistry to bring out her beauty. He clearly adores her, and because he is an artist, with no ulterior motive, she responds to him very well. The whole crew understand this and appreciate it. Jack, they can see, is the man who will save the film by putting Marilyn’s radiance on the screen.
    â€˜Isn’t Marilyn allowed to make friends?’ said Jack. ‘I wish the rest of you would be a bit more welcoming. She ’s a stranger here, you know, and no one is stranger than you lot. Let ’s get back to work.’
    The truth is that the crew look at me with a good deal of suspicion. This is my first film, and I am very wet behind the ears. It was obviously Olivier himself who got me the job, and he treats me as if I was his nephew (although he often yells at me if I make a mistake). Vivien, who I have known since I was a boy, always singles me out when she visits. ‘Colin, darling, are you looking after Larrykins for me?’ she purrs, knowing full well that she embarrasses me as much as she pleases me. Dame Sybil also knows my parents. She treats me as if I was her grandson, and bought me a lovely thick wool scarf to keep me warm while I wait outside the studio at dawn to welcome the stars. (Come to think of it, Dame Sybil treats the whole crew as if they were her grandchildren, and would buy each one of them a woolly scarf if she could.)
    Marilyn does not know my parents (thank God!), and there is no reason for her to talk to me at all. We have had a few