The Only Woman in the Room

Chapters 26 and 27 demonstrate that, though Hedy has escaped her abusive husband and fascism, her new life still resembles the cages she’s lived in before. In Chapter 26, she listens to a group of men discuss her new identity as though she’s not in the room—because by acquiring her contract it is implied that they have acquired all of her, and it is solely up to them who she will be. The chapter also shows that the legacy of Ecstasy for Hedy is still unescapable as the American execs worry that she’ll want to make indecent films. Hedy’s past haunts her wherever she goes, but the studio’s greatest concern is her heritage, proving that antisemitism is just as prevalent in America as it is in Europe. Hedy is already conditioned to negate her Jewish identity and hardly blinks when covering up her Jewish ancestry. However, Hedy’s willingness to accept the studio’s rewrite of her identity demonstrates her desire to leave her old life behind—a naïve hope that she can just forget her painful past. Her realization that rewriting the bad parts of her history also erases the good parts represents the complicated duality of her existence as a Jewish immigrant.

Chapter 27 also demonstrates that so much of her experience as a woman is universal, and even normalized in Hollywood; she and the other actresses must actively avoid “being preyed upon in empty bedrooms and dark hallways” (155). The treatment she is subjected to is evocative of the dehumanization and commodification of female bodies in Hollywood, in which many women are viewed as objects and their bodies as receptors of male desire. This concept is most explicitly represented when Mayer thinly veils his request for sexual favors from Hedy to receive roles. Though this exploitation is significant, Mrs. Mayer’s interference is even more so; rather than blaming Hedy for her husband’s frequent infidelity, Mrs. Mayer protects her from him. She uses her position and knowledge to steer Hedy away from danger, and even help her earn better roles. This relationship undermines the reductive stereotype of women working against one another that Hollywood is responsible for, and replaces it with an image of female comradery that seeks to bolster and protect.

Chapter 28 represents the limited professional opportunities for women in Hollywood, particularly through the role of Gaby. While the leading man is involved in action scenes and compelling dialogue, Hedy’s character only serves the narrative as the “forbidden fruit” (162) for her male counterpart. This is intensely evocative of the roles she was relegated to all her life—as beautiful but untouchable, a symbol of male desire. Furthermore, her suggestions for making Gaby multidimensional are nearly laughed at by the crew—they don’t want their leading lady to be interesting, they only want her to beautiful. As the director demands that Hedy offer silence instead of acting, the text demonstrates that the authoritative misogyny Hedy escaped in Europe is alive and well in Hollywood. It also pointedly critiques one of the most reductive patriarchal understandings of femininity, that women can only inspire men through their beauty and their silence. 

Chapter 29 and 30 interpret the political situations abroad as they affect the immigrants in Hollywood. Though the press coverage is limited, the information Hedy and Ilona collect alludes to the spread of Nazi power and the persecution of the Jews. However, Chapter 29 demonstrates the toxic side of Hedy’s new dual identity—she cannot properly mourn for her country or despair for the Jewish people without revealing her Jewish heritage, for which she would almost certainly suffer prejudice. This chapter portrays WWII politics penetrating Hedy’s Hollywood bubble, reawakening her to the imminent threat that is Hitler. Mostly, though, it shows the hypocritical ideology of the land of the free—that it is only free to a select few.

In Chapter 30, Hedy cannot enjoy the professional and monetary success she’s earned because she is racked with guilt from her social responsibility. Having overheard Hitler’s plans early on, Hedy shows an awareness that she could have protected others from Hitler—or at the very least her mother. Her guilt over her safety and prosperity while so many others suffer forces Hedy back into her mask—she must actively deny her Jewish identity in public, while she worries and mourns in private. Hedy’s disillusionment with America is furthered as she learns that the country purposefully makes it difficult to immigrate to with the “paper wall” (174). This, along with the realization that her only hope for saving her mother is Mayer, communicates that power moves through the US similar to how it moved through Europe—between the hands of powerful men. Hedy must rely on her connections, not policies.