You may not know this, but Laurence Olivier adored Natalie Wood. They worked together in 1976 on a TV version of Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, in which she starred as Maggie, with her then-husband Robert Wagner as Brick and Olivier as Big Daddy. In those later years when he was in Hollywood, Larry spent quite a bit of time with Natalie and Robert, who were both in awe of him. Larry and Natalie talked of acting and life and a certain person, undoubtedly. As Wagner wrote in his autobiography, Pieces of My Heart,
Natalie was passionate on the subject of Vivien Leigh, her favorite actress, and the movies she would watch over and over again were Gone With the Wind and, particularly, A Streetcar Named Desire. God, she loved that movie, and she loved all of Tennessee Williams - his particular poetic take on damaged souls.
In her book Natasha: The Biography of Natalie Wood, biographer Suzanne Finstad elaborates on the relationship between Larry and Natalie:
[Natalie] compared acting with Olivier to starring with James Dean, describing them both as "fluid."
Olivier was "insane about Natalie," according to their costar Maureen Stapleton. Olivier, ironically, was in awe of Natalie's beauty, the very thing Vivien Leigh, her idol and his ex-wife, worried overshadowed her reputation as a serious actress.
Larry was often invited on sailing excursions aboard the Wagner's yacht, the Splendour, where the above photograph was taken. There are so many things I love about this picture (possibly taken by Wagner): Natalie's hat, her Espadrilles, her whole boho ensemble, Larry trying to capture her with his Polaroid, what appears to be Catalina in the background, the fact that they're just sitting there. Together. On a boat. No big deal. The Wagners accompanied Larry to the Century City premiere of the film A Little Romance in 1979, so it is likely the photo was snapped around that time.
Huge thanks to my friend, the author Jay Jorgensen, for sharing this gem from his collection. Please check out Jay's beautiful new book, Creating the Illusion: A Fashionable History of Hollywood Costume Designers (Running Press, 2015).
laurence olivier natalie wood photography robert wagner
