The Reluctant Whore

Simpson’s creator Matt Groening recalls that when trying to tape Elizabeth Taylor saying the one single word spoken by Maggie Simpson in an episode of the Simpsons years ago, she got fed up after over 20 takes that were, according to producers, consistently “too sexual”, told them to “fuck off” and walked out.

Which is the bigger story here?

Is it that beneath that extraordinarily lauded Hollywood monarch like profile that is synonymous with American purity, cultural staying power, excess and an ego the size of a golf course Elizabeth Taylor actually has a mouth on her like a dirty, hardened, whore-bangin’ sailor who can’t help but throw in a few filthy words because it makes her feel naughty and balances out the grand matriarch routine required of her to maintain her iconic status? Well, that is extremely gratifying to think about, yes.

OR – is it the fact that she couldn’t say the word “Daddy” without making it overtly sexual thus revealing a penchant for role play and some kind of weird but actually probably fairly standard daddy issue that has become sexualized and remains with her to this day – as an elderly woman in a wheelchair who, let’s warrant a guess, is mildly less sexually active than she may once have been.

OR – is it the fact that from Groening’s recollection we now can construct in our own minds a scenario in the studio where Elizabeth Taylor had to constantly process feedback that informed her to really consider how much sex was in her voice, figure it out, and tone it down. Plus, in that scenario, you get the added bonus of her getting angry and walking out in a fit which is always nice - particularly for the drama-loving gays in the audience.


Gosh, do we really have to decide? They’re all so wonderful.[source]