MBTI Type: ESTJ

Laurence has a great deal of conflict with Marilyn, because of his strong Te ideas about professionalism. In his opinion, you do not keep hundreds of people waiting on a film set because it is not only rude, but a waste of money and resources. He is intolerant of her constant need for approval, validation, and an “acting coach,” and at one point, bluntly tells her to just get out there and swing her hips around, because that’s why they hired her: it’s not because she has talent, it’s because she’s a sex symbol. Naturally, this doesn’t endear him to her, even if it is the “facts” of the situation. Laurence can also be somewhat self-centered in that he never thinks about how other people are going to feel about his decisions, on or off the film set—he has cheated on his wife multiple times and Vivien Leigh knows that he “burns hot… and then cold,” implying that his passions arise and then fade. Laurence doesn’t care as much about interpreting the scene as he does insist that Marilyn just read through it, learn it, and “perform” it. He gravitates between extreme bluntness and cajoling, convincing, and pleading for Marilyn to just do her job (along with insulting her, ranting about her behind her back, complaining about how expensive and unprofessional she is, compared to how people ought to behave, etc). He doesn’t want her to add things unnecessarily, take too much time in trying to figure out her character from the inside-out, etc. Just perform it as it is written, please. He’s aware of her emotional instability and the real reasons the industry has paired them up for this movie. Laurence tackles things head on, with no room for misinterpretation or nonsense; he cannot understand Marilyn’s inexperience, her need to “understand her character,” or her need for an acting coach, since he thinks the only way to learn is to do things. He often reacts in the moment and has to compose himself a moment later, to make amends and/or convince Marilyn to give them another take. He isn’t considerate of his statements’ appropriateness (he forces her to apologize to her esteemed costar for being late, but also makes suggestive remarks about her on set and in front of his wife). But he is willing to admit that when Marilyn is “good, she’s brilliant.”

Enneagram: 3w4 so/sx

Laurence is tough, no-nonsense, and demands professionalism from his costars. He wants success, and if that means working with the most notoriously unreliable (but sexy) address in Hollywood, so be it. As Colin points out to him, he decided against a play as beneath him when they started out and by the end of the shoot has decided to take it after all, in an attempt to restore his dragging career. Laurence can be arrogant, condescending, and sometimes elitist and critical, looking down on Marilyn for her emotional problems; for him, it’s just a job. You do it, you get paid, you go home; you don’t stall everyone all the time, while you are “trying to find” the character. He can be temperamental himself, and prone to tantrums; but then he quickly becomes professional again and tries to smooth things over with his distraught star.