“From forth the fatal loins of these two foes
A pair of star-cross’d lovers take their life.”
We’ve all heard about and suffered next to the characters of the most tormented stories in literature and culture. However, William Shakespeare is probably the writer with the most iconic tragic stories of all time. There’s something about his characters that appeal to our most instinctive emotions. Although we might think these stories belong to the realm of fiction, he managed to endow them with the most humane features. Despite the fact that reading Shakespeare is one of the best literary experiences one can have, there’s nothing better than seeing them on stage. After all, being played is part of their nature.
Imagine it’s 1940 and you’re getting all dressed up to attend the staging of the ultimate tragic love story of all times, Romeo and Juliet, interpreted by the most talented actors of the time: Laurence Olivier and Vivien Leigh. The tale of these star-crossed lovers ended up being a prophecy of this couple’s life. Okay, they didn’t kill themselves, but their story is quite turbulent and tragic.
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Vivian Mary Hartley, best known as Vivien Leigh (or Scarlett O’Hara, her most famous character) is one of the most important actresses of Hollywood’s Golden Era. Her story, the classic story of the absolute famous diva with a tormented private life, is one of pride and success tainted with constant tragedy. Born in 1913 in Darjeeling (British India), Vivien learned from a young age what it was like to be by herself. When she was only six years old, she was sent to a convent school and barely saw her parents, who stayed in India. She developed a sense of autonomy and self-love that was going to accompany her for the rest of her life. After moving from school to school around Europe, her parents returned to Britain in 1931, but she had other plans rather than being a regular home girl. She wanted to become an actress and a star. She enrolled in the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London when she was 18 years old. It was then that she met Herbert Leigh Holman, a lawyer thirteen years older than her.
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“You are in my thoughts and weighing so heavily in my heart all the time. I am only existing until I see you again and only just managing to do that.” (Olivier) They got married in 1932 and had a baby girl the next year. But, despite how much she loved her daughter, her dreams were her number one priority. She finished her studies and got some acting jobs despite her husband’s reluctance. In 1935 her life changed drastically. While working on the staging of The Mask of Virtue, she received many compliments, but little did she know that her performance was going to captivate the man who would become the love of her life and who would be remembered as the best actor of all times, Laurence Olivier.
The next year they were cast as the main couple in the film Fire Over England, which became the spark in their passionate relationship. Not only that, this movie led her to the most iconic role of her career, Scarlet O’Hara in Gone with the Wind (GWTW). The couple started a secret affair (since both were married at the time) that lasted for four years, until they couldn’t resist anymore. They left their families and got married in 1940. Together they appeared in many films and plays, and soon became the most acclaimed celebrity couple of Hollywood’s most glorious time. She was already consecrated as one of the top actresses due to her Academy Award for GWTW, but life wasn’t going to be as perfect as she had always dreamt
“Whenever you think of me my Larry-boy you will know I am with you adoringly Vivien.” (Leigh)By 1945, she had suffered from two miscarriages, and above all, she fell critically ill with tuberculosis, a disease that would accompany her until her last day. If things weren’t bad enough, she was also diagnosed with bipolar disorder, a condition that would cause constant mood swings, from depression to severe manic episodes. But she never abandoned her dream, and in 1951 she portrayed what many thought was just a mirror of her condition: the role of Blanche Dubois in A Streetcar Named Desire. Her interpretation of the mentally unstable Southern Belle won her her second Academy Award and a special place among the most memorable Hollywood Stars. But this was just her public life, which was quite different from her personal one.
“I want to say thank you for understanding it all for my sake […] You did nobly and bravely and beautifully and I am very oh so sorry, very sorry, that it must have been much hell for you.” (Olivier)
From 1953, everything went downhill. At that time, she had to be admitted to a psychiatric ward after having a severe episode while filming Elephant Walk. Here she was treated with electroshock therapy, the cruelest and most futile therapy of all. Leigh had good and bad days, but still, she continued working on films and plays. However, Olivier had had enough. After 20 years of marriage, he asked for the divorce in 1958. Still, in the process, she began a relationship with Jack Merivale, something Olivier was well aware of since he made him promise to take care of her. They were together for seven years, until she died in 1967 out of a complication of tuberculosis, the disease that made a fatal comeback. Even with her mental breakdowns and tragedies, Vivien Leigh did what she always dreamt. She became one of the most important actresses in film history, and her legacy, talent, and beauty still entice audiences.
Hollywood’s Golden Age was a period of grandeur and elegance, at least that’s what it appeared to be. However, there were many dark moments that were hidden behind the spotlight. In the same way, just as their movies, the protagonists of these scandals and controversies became legends.
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