'I opened my eyes to the horror of the animal agricultural industry': interview with actress Wendy Morgan

It is the philosophy of Buddhism that I find so relaxing and wonderful. I was going through a very low period many years ago and picked up a book called The Way of The Buddha. I think the first words were something like “Imagine everything you were seeing, hearing and experiencing were exactly how it was meant to be” - just that one sentence alone transformed my experience. I could live on that one sentence and yet this was a whole book that blew my mind. It transformed the world for me and how I viewed it and everyone on it. Buddha mind. It’s a beautiful thing to emulate. The words of Martin Luther King inspire me – profoundly. Ghandi, because of his desire for peace and his peaceful and quiet determination of seeking peace. Marilyn Monroe – well, as a child I loved her. I felt like I understood her even then. She appealed to everyone. I have played her twice which was a divine thing to be able to research her for a living. I have such a great respect for her and her sweetness and her intelligence and her talent and her beauty and her wit. Her loyalty. What a gal! Such a strong woman too. I have been working on a piece about her for such a long time. But I haven’t yet found anything new to say about her. So, it hasn’t happened yet. The last time I was in L.A. I was in mid research for this project that hasn’t borne fruit yet and I drove up to her last house. I had rented a white Mustang convertible and it rattled a bit. Totally romantic. I expected hordes to be at her gates. But not a soul to be seen. It was an eerily quiet cul de sac and I tried to imagine her being picked up by the studio car. I wasn’t sure exactly which her house was so I buzzed on the gate. The gate clicked and buzzed me back in. I stopped breathing for a moment. What should I do? Go in? I decided I would wait. The occupants weren’t expecting ME any way. So, I didn’t go in. Ever polite. Was it an opportunity missed? Or gained by not? A mystery.