Stephen Galloway, "Truly, Madly: Vivien Leigh, Laurence Olivier, and the Romance of the Century"

In this romantic episode of Ira’s Everything Bagel, Stephen Galloway, author of "Truly, Madly: Vivien Leigh, Laurence Olivier, and the Romance of the Century" (published by Grand Central Publishing),talks about his decades-long interest in Olivier and the discovery of Leigh’s archives in London; why he realized that this book would not be a double biography, but a biography of a marriage; why he wanted to explore the effects of mental illness on a relationship; the separations and stress of the work on the couple; the conflict between narrative and truth; and the surprising facts he discovered about Olivier.

[@katarinaliljedahl9926]

Very intelligent interview! I have read several books about VL over the years, starting with Anne Edwards 1979 when I was a teenager. Recently I finished Dark Star by Alan Strachan which I found very interesting in another perspective since I'm much older (...) and there are much more sources today. After the death of VL, Katharine Hepburn wrote about Olivier "Great actor. Small man." I think VL comes around much better today.

[@kaylibaraniecki1284]

Hello, I would like to email Stepehn, can you please ask him if I can have his email or contact info. It is regarding the book. Please! And thank you!

[@annalisavajda252]

Well maybe they were both a bit crazy people like to be with their own kind artists including actors are often more emotional because they use it like alchemy in their art and performances if you can't be dramatic then performances may seem wooden. Some like them are very passionate so obviously a person less emotional is also less passionate. That era of films was more decadent too they were British not American but look at Hollywood then women dripping in jewels and furs everyone drinking and smoking and laughing not just virtue signalling like now.