"Stayed as Far Away from Her as Possible.” This Iconic Actress Greatly Intimidated John Wayne
John Wayne was intimidated by his co-star from the set of a romantic film in which the actor starred in 1940. However, this didn’t last too long, as they were eventually brought together by their close relationship.
Cinemagoers certainly primarily associate John Wayne with westerns. A hat, cowboy boots and him sitting on a horse – this is the image that paints itself in the mind at the mention of the actor. This, however, doesn’t mean that Wayne avoided other genres. On the contrary, he was willing to step out of his comfort zone and try other things.
That's how he ended up on the set of a romantic film alongside Marlene Dietrich, with whom he starred in Seven Sinners. It was the actress who singled him out for the lead role, as she had the opportunity to choose who would partner her in the production. And so it fell to Wayne, whom, according to reports from the set, the actress was clearly interested in, despite the fact that at the time the western star was married to Josephine Saenz.
This apparently didn't bother the German artist, according to information provided by her set mate Anna Lee, who told about this in Conversations with Classic Film Stars.
According to Joe Pasternak, [Dietrich] first spotted the Duke [John Wayne's nickname – editor’s note] in the commissary and shouted, ‘Mommy wants that for Christmas.’ John stayed as far away from her as possible.
But even if Dietrich's boldness initially intimidated Wayne, this didn’t last long, as the actors, playing on-screen lovers, became them in real life as well. The couple was brought together by an affair that lasted three years and resulted in Wayne's divorce from Saenz, who eventually learned of her husband's infidelity.
During the course of their romance, Dietrich and Wayne starred together in two more films – The Spoilers and Pittsburgh, both from 1942.
