August 9, 2025 • 24 mins
Step into the glamorous yet shadowy world of Old Hollywood with Mashair Reads as we dive deep into The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid.
In this episode, we break down Evelyn’s dazzling career, scandalous relationships, and heartbreaking truths with a storytelling style that’s as captivating as the novel itself.
Whether you’ve read the book or are hearing about it for the first time, expect detailed, cinematic summaries, emotional insights, and thought-provoking discussions that make you feel like you’re right there in Evelyn’s glittering world.
✨ Listen now and experience book discussions like never before — and don’t forget to stream our audiobook episodes and summaries on Spotify, and all major platforms.
📌 Follow Mashair Reads for more in-depth, emotionally rich book talks that make stories come alive.
In this episode, we break down Evelyn’s dazzling career, scandalous relationships, and heartbreaking truths with a storytelling style that’s as captivating as the novel itself.
Whether you’ve read the book or are hearing about it for the first time, expect detailed, cinematic summaries, emotional insights, and thought-provoking discussions that make you feel like you’re right there in Evelyn’s glittering world.
✨ Listen now and experience book discussions like never before — and don’t forget to stream our audiobook episodes and summaries on Spotify, and all major platforms.
📌 Follow Mashair Reads for more in-depth, emotionally rich book talks that make stories come alive.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Welcome to the Deep Dive. We're the podcasts where well
we plunge into these huge, fascinating stories and try to
pull out those surprising truths that just make you go aha.
Today we are stepping right into the glittering but really
enigmatic world of Evelyn Hugo.
Speaker 2 (00:15):
Oh the legend herself exactly.
Speaker 1 (00:18):
At seventy nine, this Hollywood icon famous for what seven marriages,
She's auctioning off her most.
Speaker 2 (00:23):
Iconic gowns, right, the big auction.
Speaker 1 (00:25):
And our mission, our deep Dive today is to peel
back those layers, you know, the carefully built image she had.
We want to uncover the real truths behind the fame,
those chaotic loves, the struggles, and we're doing it all
through the eyes of this struggling magazine writer Monique Grant.
Speaker 2 (00:41):
Which is just such a fascinating setup, isn't it, Because
Evelyn Hugo, she's been a recluse for decades, just total mystique.
Speaker 1 (00:47):
Right.
Speaker 2 (00:47):
So the big question right off the bat is why Monique,
Why pick this basically unknown writer from Vavant magazine for
the pelll interview of a lifetime.
Speaker 1 (00:57):
Yeah, Monique has no idea.
Speaker 2 (00:59):
None, And it's this huge career opportunity for her, especially
since her own life is kind of falling apart. Her
husband David literally just moved out.
Speaker 1 (01:06):
It's wild. Monique herself is completely baffled. She's digging, asking
her mom if her dad, who worked in Hollywood way
back maybe knew Evelyn, but nope, nothing to it end.
So this really strange choice sets up our whole quest
for this deep dive. What is hiding under that glamorous,
carefully managed Evelyn Hugo facade? How did she actually navigate
(01:29):
a life where love, ambition, public image, they were just
constantly smashing into each other. Get ready, folks, Yeah, get ready.
This journey, I think is going to hit us with
some real aha moments about fame, love and finding yourself
in all that mess.
Speaker 2 (01:46):
Definitely, and to really get Evelyn Hugo, you have to
go way back back to the unvarnished start. Our sources,
they paint this really vivid picture. Elena Herrera, right, not
Hugo yet not Hugo, daughter of Cuban immigrants, grew up
really poor, lost her mother when she was just eleven,
and her father abusive. It's well, it's not the glamorous
backstory you'd expect is.
Speaker 1 (02:04):
It not even close? And it immediately shows you that
fierce survival instinct that really defines her entire life.
Speaker 2 (02:11):
Absolutely.
Speaker 1 (02:11):
What's just staggering is how young she learned that brutal
lesson Dick what you want? I mean, she's only sixteen
and she seduces Ernie Diaz, this much older guy. And
it wasn't about love, not even close. It was cold
calculated a transaction basically to get her ticket out of
Hell's kitchen and into Hollywood. She was already taking control
(02:32):
using what she had, that's exactly.
Speaker 2 (02:33):
And once she got to Hollywood, she didn't just like
sit around waiting. No, she's hidden the celebrity spots networking.
That's where she meets Harry Cameron.
Speaker 1 (02:41):
Ah, Harry Key figure.
Speaker 2 (02:43):
Huge, a young film producer back then he becomes this
lifelong confidant. He helps her get small roles. She's learning
the ropes, you know, hiding how ambitious she really is
from Ernie. So it doesn't feel like threatened smart, but
the industry itself different story. Harry tells her straight up
being Cuban. That's a bit. The studios want blondes for
the lead roles.
Speaker 1 (03:03):
Ugh, yeah, a grim reminder of the times. So what
does Evelyn do. She engineers this meeting with a producer
Ari Sullivan, right and just with this chilling pragmatism, uses
sex as a tool, not for pleasure, for power, to
land the lead in Little Women getting what she wanted.
Speaker 2 (03:21):
That was the satisfaction, and bam, that leads to the
famous image overhaul. She becomes a blonde bombshell re christened
Evelyn Hugo, erasing the Cuban roots entirely to fit the mold.
Then the studio orchestrates the strategic divorce from Ernie Diaz.
Evelyn plays the perfect heartbroken wife for the cameras, all
(03:41):
an act totally turning him into just another stepping stone.
Calculated though actually it worked out okay for Ernie too.
He used the settlement money to build his own life.
Speaker 1 (03:50):
It's just it shows the sheer ruthlessness it took to
climb like that. In this drive. It leads her straight
into her first big public marriage, Don Adler, the handsome actor, right,
and he seemed genuinely into her, not just the image.
For a minute, you think, okay, maybe this is real
amidst all the publicity stunts.
Speaker 2 (04:06):
Yeah, their romance was this huge whirlwind, all meticulously arranged
by Don's powerful parents, culminates in this lavish wedding in
nineteen fifty seven. But here's the kicker. Okay, at the reception,
in this quiet moment away from the crowds, Harry Cameron
confesses to Evelyn that he's gay.
Speaker 1 (04:24):
Wow at her wedding reception.
Speaker 2 (04:26):
Right there, sharing this huge secret right then and there.
It just instantly deepens their bond. Cemented Harry as her
absolute closest confidant, a rock in her crazy life.
Speaker 1 (04:36):
But the fairy tale with Don, it falls apart almost instantly,
doesn't it.
Speaker 2 (04:40):
Two months in two months and Don starts hitting her
god resentment mostly her career was taking off. His was
kind of stalling. He couldn't handle it, lashed out, told
her to quit acting, have kids.
Speaker 1 (04:51):
The irony is just brutal. Her success is what triggers
his abuse exactly.
Speaker 2 (04:55):
And Evelyn, ever the survivor, she's hiding the bruises, pushing
through filming. Actually one more day, the movie they did together.
Speaker 1 (05:02):
The one they both got nominated for, that's the.
Speaker 2 (05:03):
One Oscar noms for both, But for Evelyn, that film
was forever stained by the abuse happening behind the scenes.
Harry noticed the bruises, you know, he confronted her.
Speaker 1 (05:13):
Did she tell him?
Speaker 2 (05:14):
She admitted it, Yeah, but she was trapped so that
she still loved Don but it was all tangled up
with ambition, the public image. It really makes you ask
what was the real cost of that glittering Hollywood success.
Speaker 1 (05:25):
So she's in this incredibly tough spot, vulnerable but still
fiercely ambitious. And then the casting for Little Women, this
brings in a newcomer who changes everything, Celia Saint James.
Speaker 2 (05:39):
Right, and initially Evelyn just sees her as a threat,
another pretty young thing who could steal her spotlight.
Speaker 1 (05:44):
Mm hm. But then there's this moment right, not on
set but at home.
Speaker 2 (05:48):
Yeah, it's powerful, Evelyn's made Paula. She glimpses these dark
bruises around Evelyn's ribs. Dawn had pushed her down the stairs.
Speaker 1 (05:55):
Oh my god.
Speaker 2 (05:55):
But Paula says nothing, just silence. It's kind of chilling
how that Holly, what illusion was maintained even with stuff
like that happening.
Speaker 1 (06:03):
And then on set Celia she's actually nervous.
Speaker 2 (06:06):
Totally nervous, and that catches Evelyn off guard. She stops
seeing a rival and sees like a person scared, unsure
like she used to be. It's the subtle shift, but
Evelyn decides quietly, I like her, and that simple thought,
well it ends up meaning everything.
Speaker 1 (06:25):
So how does the friendship actually start?
Speaker 2 (06:27):
It's unconventional. Celia suggests, you know, public outings, pap strolls,
but Evelyn wants privacy, she wants real life away from
the cameras. She steers them somewhere secluded, interesting, and Evelyn
is just brutally honest. Amidst she uses people, says something like,
if you're going to use people, at least be good
at it.
Speaker 1 (06:43):
Wow. What does Celia think of that?
Speaker 2 (06:45):
Celia finds it awful, but with a spark of admiration,
isn't that great? It leads to this deal, this mutual cooperation.
Celia helps Evelyn with her acting. Evelyn lends Celia her
star power, a partnership built on this like raw cynical
understanding of how Hollywood work.
Speaker 1 (07:00):
And this honesty it extends to managing her image too, right.
The cold Evelyn article.
Speaker 2 (07:05):
Oh yeah, that piece accuses her of refusing don children.
So Evelyn strategically fakes this whole story about having multiple miscarriages.
Harry helps her script.
Speaker 1 (07:15):
It, and she performs it for the maid.
Speaker 2 (07:17):
Puts on a whole show over the phone for Paula,
knowing she'll leak it, and it works. Public sympathy flips
completely genius but ruthless.
Speaker 1 (07:26):
But behind all these headlines, something real is happening with Celia.
Speaker 2 (07:30):
Absolutely, that's what's so profound. Behind the scenes, their intimacy
is growing, They're sharing secrets, they burn that fake article together.
Evelyn feels this seismic shift. She realizes, with this aching clarity,
she's starting to love Celia.
Speaker 1 (07:43):
But then Don comes back.
Speaker 2 (07:45):
Yeah, Don walks in on them during this private moment,
shatters the intimacy, but the public story stays the same.
Evelyn and Celia on double dates with Don and this guy,
Robert Logan. The truth is right there, but.
Speaker 1 (07:56):
Hidden until the Little Women premiere. Evelyn's proud of Celia's performance,
not threatened. But then Ruby.
Speaker 2 (08:03):
Riley Ugh, Ruby, always digging for dirt, she corners Evelyn
at the after party, spills everything, tells her Celia is
a lesbian and that Don's having an affair.
Speaker 1 (08:12):
What does Evelyn do?
Speaker 2 (08:14):
Her focus is instant, not Dawn cheating. She kind of
expected that it's Celia she has to find Celia tells
you everything about her priorities right there.
Speaker 1 (08:21):
And this leads to that huge moment in the interview
with Monique, the big reveal.
Speaker 2 (08:26):
The absolute core of it all. Monique asks, point blank,
did you know Celia was gay? Evelyn hesitates, then just
lays it bare. Celia Saint James was the love of
my life, just like that, Just like that, Monique, stunned,
jumps to so you're gay, and Evelyn corrects her so calmly,
so firmly, I'm bisexual. I loved men and I love Celia.
Speaker 1 (08:49):
Both were real, and Monique gets it right. Thinking about
her own biracial identity.
Speaker 2 (08:53):
Exactly, she understands that struggle against being put in a box.
This isn't just Evelyn confessing love, it's her claiming her
whole complex self, refusing easy labels.
Speaker 1 (09:03):
So after this massive confession, Evelyn makes a move, a
bold one.
Speaker 2 (09:06):
She kisses Celia, but Celia pulls back, overwhelmed. So Evelyn
turns around, confronts Don about his cheating, tells him she
loves Celia, and walks out done.
Speaker 1 (09:14):
Well, but the divorce gets messy.
Speaker 2 (09:18):
Super messy. Evelyn's gag can't speak publicly. Don blacklists her
from Sunset Studio.
Speaker 1 (09:24):
It's brutal and Celia.
Speaker 2 (09:26):
Once Harry leaves with the papers, Evelyn finally tells Celia
she loves her. They sleep together. It's this huge turning point.
But the media, oh, they spin it viciously. Sub Rosa
claims the divorce is because Evelyn was jealous of Don's success,
predicts her career is over.
Speaker 1 (09:41):
Just shows you the power of the press back then,
shaping the narrative even when she's fighting so hard to
control it herself. Absolutely, and after the divorce from Don,
Evelyn's career does actually take a hit, right while Celia's
takes off big time.
Speaker 2 (09:53):
Celia wins the Oscar for Little Women. Evelyn's watching at
home alone, and she's so overcome with pride and love
for Celia she literally kisses the TV screen and chips
her tooth.
Speaker 1 (10:04):
No way.
Speaker 2 (10:05):
Yes, it's this small, kind of absurd moment, but it
says everything about how deep that hidden love ran.
Speaker 1 (10:11):
So her American career is sputtering. Yeah, what does she do?
Speaker 2 (10:14):
She reinvents herself, goes to Paris. Harry helps set it up.
She gets offered this super bowld role by mac chirard.
It includes a topless scene in a film called bouton Train.
Speaker 1 (10:24):
Risky, move back, then.
Speaker 2 (10:25):
Very but Evelyn nails it. She channels her understanding of
desiring a woman Celia, into creating this powerful sense of
desire on screen. It becomes the film's most talked about moment,
and that gets attention, huge attention. Rockstar mack Reeva sees
the film and publicly declares he's going to marry her,
having never even met her.
Speaker 1 (10:47):
That's just peak celebrity insanity, isn't it.
Speaker 2 (10:49):
Totally just this instant, bizarre public connection and her public life,
especially with Celia, it's still this constant balancing act.
Speaker 1 (10:57):
There's that incident at the Macreeva concert.
Speaker 2 (10:59):
Right vivelyn Harry and Celia are all there together. Evelyn
takes Celia's hand publicly, which is incredibly risky.
Speaker 1 (11:07):
Someone sees them.
Speaker 2 (11:08):
Yeah, some woman in the crowd notices. So Evelyn, quick
as a flash, calls out to make Reva, creating this
huge diversion, drawing all the attention away from her and Celia.
Just brilliant instinctive protection.
Speaker 1 (11:19):
But the whispers start anyway.
Speaker 2 (11:20):
They do Subrosa starts hinting about their connection, printing stuff
about Celia spending nights at Evelyn's place. The scandal is brewing, and.
Speaker 1 (11:28):
This leads to Evelyn's most maybe drastic plan yet.
Speaker 2 (11:32):
Oh definitely the most self sacrificing. To kill the rumors
and protect Celia, Evelyn decides she needs a huge distraction.
Her plan, date Elope with and then quickly Anola marriage
to Mick Reva.
Speaker 1 (11:45):
Just use them completely completely.
Speaker 2 (11:47):
Celia is absolutely devastated, accuses Evelyn of choosing fame over
their love again, but Evelyn insists it's to protect Ceally.
Speaker 1 (11:55):
Does Celia agree?
Speaker 2 (11:56):
She does eventually, but with one non negotiable condition. After
the annulment, Evelyn has to move in with her properly.
Speaker 1 (12:03):
Wow, a desperate deer made.
Speaker 2 (12:05):
In total desperation, But it shows how committed Celia was
to and Evelyn.
Speaker 1 (12:09):
She pulls it off the Macreeve.
Speaker 2 (12:11):
Thing with chilling precision. She manipulates make into proposing, then
deliberately makes sure the marriage implodes fast by being well
a terrible lover. Oh my god, it works perfectly. Public
sympathy pours in for her, the poor jilted bride. Attention
totally diverted from Celia. It's masterful manipulation, even if involves
humiliating herself.
Speaker 1 (12:30):
But the personal cost must have been huge, immense.
Speaker 2 (12:33):
Evelyn gets pregnant from sleeping with Mick as part of
the charade. Celia is furious calls her a prostitute. Yeah,
Evelyn argues she did it all for Celia, that she
had choices Celia as an openly gay woman, then didn't.
But Celia can't handle it. She leaves for five years.
Speaker 1 (12:50):
Five years gone.
Speaker 2 (12:52):
Evelyn later tells Monique she regretted every single moment they
spent apart, a rare admission of deep, deep regret from her.
Speaker 1 (13:00):
Celia's gone. What does Evelyn do back to strategic marriages?
Speaker 2 (13:03):
You guessed it. Her marriage Directs North, her co star
and Anna Karenina pure business, film publicity. No love there,
Mutual respect maybe, but it was an arrangement. They both
had freedom to see other people, just how to be discreet.
It really shows how for Evelyn, relationships often just became
tools for ambition and image control.
Speaker 1 (13:21):
But something shifts personally around this time, too, right with.
Speaker 2 (13:24):
Her heritage, Yeah, a quieter but important shift. She hires
a Salvadorn maid Louisa, and Louisa, not knowing who Evelyn
really is, calls her crazy in Spanish one day, and
somehow that little interaction sparks something. Evelyn starts reconnecting with
her Cuban roots, the ones she buried for decades, feels
less shame, forms a real bond with Louisa.
Speaker 1 (13:44):
Harry has his own secrets.
Speaker 2 (13:46):
Oh yeah, Harry confesses to Evelyn that he's involved with
John Braverman, Celia's husband, Celia's husband, revealing that both their
marriages are just elaborate fronts, total facades.
Speaker 1 (13:57):
So they're both living these parallel secret.
Speaker 2 (13:59):
Lives and this shared secret, this deception leads them to
this brilliant, kind of crazy new plan.
Speaker 1 (14:08):
What's the plan?
Speaker 2 (14:09):
Stage A scandalous, racy photo of Evelyn with someone else
cause a stir. Then they get married, Harry and Evelyn.
Whoa why to start a family. It's this incredible bond
of trust and loyalty, zero romance. It gives them both
career cover, protects their secrets, and lets them build the family.
They both want their next film together smashes box office records.
Speaker 1 (14:31):
It's amazing how intricate their lives become.
Speaker 2 (14:34):
Utterly and what's really striking is how Evelyn telling her
story impacts Monique.
Speaker 1 (14:38):
Right Monique's own life.
Speaker 2 (14:39):
Yeah, hearing Evelyn, seeing these choices, Monique has this realization
about her own marriage to David. It's not over because
of some big heartbreak. It's just not right anymore.
Speaker 1 (14:48):
So she ends it.
Speaker 2 (14:48):
She ends it. It's like Evelyn's complicated, messy life somehow
gives Monique the clarity she needed for her own. Really
powerful connection there.
Speaker 1 (14:58):
Which brings us to maybe one of the most beautiful
parts of Evelyn's story. The unconventional family they built.
Speaker 2 (15:05):
Oh absolutely, it's radical, especially for the time. You've got
Evelyn and Celia finally leaving together, and Harry and his
partner John Braverman living basically next door and together the
four of them are raising Connor.
Speaker 1 (15:17):
Harry and Evelyn's daughter, born in seventy five.
Speaker 2 (15:19):
Exactly, this deeply unconventional but profoundly loving, chosen family unit.
In the middle of glittering, deceitful Hollywood, they carved out
this authentic little sanctuary. It really speaks to that fundamental
human need for belonging.
Speaker 1 (15:34):
Doesn't it. It really does. And against this backdrop, major
events are happening Stonewall.
Speaker 2 (15:40):
Right, the Stonewall riots happened. Celia feels this huge surge
of hope, wants to go out march, be visible.
Speaker 1 (15:46):
But Evelyn and Harry hold back.
Speaker 2 (15:48):
They do. They choose to secretly fund the cause instead.
Their reasoning was that their fame, their presence, might actually
distract from the movement itself, a protective move, not indifference.
Speaker 1 (16:00):
Wins her second Oscar. But Evelyn isn't there.
Speaker 2 (16:03):
No, Evelyn isn't there. And Celia, well, she gets drunk,
lashes out really cruelly dismisses Evelyn's career, her bisexuality, saying
she wasn't real because she'd been with men too. I
must have cut deep, Oh incredibly deep, Evelyn acknowledges later, Yeah,
she used her sexuality to climb the ladder, but Celia's
(16:23):
words just hurt. Shows the immense pressure to fit into boxes,
even from loved ones.
Speaker 1 (16:28):
And then Evelyn takes that role in three Am with
Don Adler, her abuser.
Speaker 2 (16:32):
Fascinating choice, right, but Don's career is fading. She clearly
has the upper hand. Now it's her reclaiming her power
over him.
Speaker 1 (16:39):
Does he apologize?
Speaker 2 (16:40):
He actually does, gives this heartfelt apology, takes responsibility, Evelyn
softens a bit, agrees to be friendly, but draws the
line not friends.
Speaker 1 (16:48):
And there's that moment that family picnic.
Speaker 2 (16:50):
Yeah, this fleeting perfect day, Evelyn, Celia, Harry, John, little
Connor all together happy. Evelyn has this premonition, this feeling
that it's one of the last times it'll be like
this bit.
Speaker 1 (17:05):
Or sweet, because things fall apart again they do.
Speaker 2 (17:08):
During the filming of Three Am, there's a sex scene
with Don. Evelyn, being the professional she is, gives it
her all but feels instant guilt.
Speaker 1 (17:16):
And Celia finds out.
Speaker 2 (17:17):
Yeah, and she's heartbroken, says she just couldn't bear the
thought of Evelyn sharing herself like that, even for a role.
Celia leaves again. Oh no, it's devastating, Evelyn tells Monique later,
just raw honesty. I'm not a good person. She blames
her own relentless obsession with fame for breaking them, not
her bisexuality. A real moment of self awareness maybe or
(17:37):
self flagellation.
Speaker 1 (17:38):
And then real tragedy strikes the family.
Speaker 2 (17:40):
Yeah, John Braverman, Harry's partner dies suddenly heart attack. Harry
is just shattered, unbearable grief retreats completely.
Speaker 1 (17:48):
How does Evelyn handle that?
Speaker 2 (17:49):
She helps Harry channel his grief, finds him a new project,
this film All.
Speaker 1 (17:52):
For Us, and they both win Oscars for it.
Speaker 2 (17:54):
They do a testament to their incredible, enduring partnership, and
Evelyn in her acceptance speed which makes this subtle, veiled
tribute to Celia hinting that the love is still there
despite everything.
Speaker 1 (18:07):
Does Harry find happiness again?
Speaker 2 (18:08):
He eventually finds new love. Yeah. He even tells Evelyn
he wishes Celia would marry his new partner so they
could all live together in La, this expanded, unconventional family.
And Evelyn tells Harry something huge too, She's done with acting, retiring.
It feels like another deepening of their unique bond, like
they're planning a future.
Speaker 1 (18:28):
Then comes the moment that changes everything.
Speaker 2 (18:30):
The car crash, the absolute pivot point, the secret that
binds Evelyn to Monique in this terrible way. Evelyn stumbles
upon this horrific scene, a fatal car crash. Harry's in
the car with another man. Oh God, and Harry had
been drinking. Evelyn makes this split second, utterly desperate decision
to protect Harry from manslaughter charges to protect their whole family,
(18:51):
their legacy from ruin. She tells her driver, Nick, to
move the other man's.
Speaker 1 (18:56):
Body moving to the driver's seat.
Speaker 2 (18:58):
Move him to the driver's seat, frame him for the crash.
It's breathtakingly ruthless, unprotective. Harry dies later at the hospital. Anyway,
Evelyn buys Nick's silence with the promise of fame.
Speaker 1 (19:09):
Unbelievable. So Harry's death, the official story is just a tragic.
Speaker 2 (19:12):
Accident, exactly his nineteen eighty nine obituary. And now this
reflects that it's the end of an era for Evelyn
and Connor, their daughter, just fourteen. She goes off the rails,
becomes this wild child, caught up in fame partying, clearly
impacted by all his secrets and loss.
Speaker 1 (19:29):
So after all this devastation, Evelyn and Celia find their
way back.
Speaker 2 (19:33):
They do. They reunite quietly in Spain, in this little
town Aldiz, far away from Hollywood.
Speaker 1 (19:40):
The chance for peace.
Speaker 2 (19:41):
Seems like it. Connor finds some stability, staying with Robert,
Celia's brother. Evelyn starts speaking Spanish again, reconnecting with that
buried part of herself Celia. Celia expresses this deep regret
for all the years they lost.
Speaker 1 (19:53):
Do you get married properly.
Speaker 2 (19:55):
In their own way? It's incredibly private, incredibly intimate. They
exchange vows using just a simple hairtie as a ring.
Speaker 1 (20:01):
A hairtie.
Speaker 2 (20:01):
Yeah. Celia promises eternal love. Evelyn says, none of her
other marriages, none of the glamour ever compared to this bond.
It's their true wedding, finally free from any public gaze.
Speaker 1 (20:13):
But the peace doesn't last forever.
Speaker 2 (20:15):
No. After about a decade in Spain, Celia gets very
ill and phyzima. She dies in Evelyn's arms in the
year two thousand.
Speaker 1 (20:21):
Oh. Evelyn must have been destroyed.
Speaker 2 (20:23):
Utterly devastated, the kind of grief you feel losing your soulmate.
Celia's obituary, of course, talks about her iconic career, mentions
her estate is managed by Robert and Evelyn. The public face.
Speaker 1 (20:35):
Remains, and the press twists Evelyn's grief horribly.
Speaker 2 (20:39):
Paparazzi snap photos of her sobbing at Harry's grave later
on and spin it as her finally mourning Harry, completely
misreading her pay using it for headlines.
Speaker 1 (20:47):
Again, more loss follows, doesn't it.
Speaker 2 (20:50):
Yeah? Robert, Celia's brother who had become a close friend
to Evelyn. He passes away, Connor gives the eulogy. Evelyn's
world just keeps shrinking. She feels desperately lonely, spoils Grace,
her housekeeper's granddaughter, trying to fill the void.
Speaker 1 (21:02):
And then the final blow, Connor.
Speaker 2 (21:05):
Connor dies breast cancer in twenty seventeen, Evelyn's daughter, her
last connection to that unconventional family. The grief is raw, overwhelming,
panning sets in, the fear being utterly alone.
Speaker 1 (21:19):
And this is when she reaches out to Monique, ready
to tell the whole story.
Speaker 2 (21:23):
Yes, her final plea to Monique is so telling, tell
her entire story. She truly sought family, not just fame,
she insists, even knowing everything, she'd make the same choices
again to protect that family.
Speaker 1 (21:34):
And then the final, final shock, the reason she chose Monique,
the bombshell.
Speaker 2 (21:39):
Evelyn reveals that the other man in the car crash,
the man she framed, was James Grant.
Speaker 1 (21:43):
Monique's father, Monique's father. Oh my god. Monique must have exploded.
Speaker 2 (21:47):
Fury, absolute fury, accuses Evelyn of being totally self centered,
tells her she's glad she's alone now, It's brutal.
Speaker 1 (21:54):
How does Evelyn react?
Speaker 2 (21:55):
She gives Monique a letter, a bloodstained letter James Grant
wrote to Harry.
Speaker 1 (21:59):
What did it say?
Speaker 2 (22:00):
It revealed James's deep love for Harry, but also his torment,
his inability to leave his wife, Monique's mother, and Monique herself.
It gives Monique the shattering complex new understanding of her
father's hidden life, the sacrifices he made.
Speaker 1 (22:16):
And Evelyn reveals she's sick too.
Speaker 2 (22:18):
Yeah tells Monique she has breast cancer. Not much time left,
adds this layer of finality of urgency to everything. Monique
is just reeling betrayed, angry, but also acknowledging Evelyn's huge
impact on her career. It's impossibly tangled. There's that photoshoot
for Vivante, right, Evelyn radiance in this emerald green gown stunning.
(22:39):
She suggests they take photos together and her smile, it's genuine.
It captivates Monique despite everything.
Speaker 1 (22:44):
Why the goodbye is chilling?
Speaker 2 (22:45):
Utterly chilling? Evelyn tells Monique, you have a bright future,
and Monique gets it instantly because she'd written about physician
assistant suicide before she knows Evelyn is planning to end
her life on her own terms.
Speaker 1 (22:55):
Does Monique try to stop her?
Speaker 2 (22:57):
She grapples with it, huge internal conflict. She talks to
her mom, who offers this perspective on her own marriage
to James. It was companionship, quiet loyalty, not grand passion.
Another way to think about love, about commitment.
Speaker 1 (23:12):
What is Monique to say?
Speaker 2 (23:13):
Ultimately? Yeah, She decides she'll eventually forgive Evelyn. She recognizes
the sheer complexity, the impossibility of simple.
Speaker 1 (23:20):
Judgments, and Evelyn she goes through with it.
Speaker 2 (23:22):
Evelyn's twenty seventeen obituary in the New York Tribune reports
an accidental overdose, mentions early stage breast cancer, the narrative
controlled even in death.
Speaker 1 (23:31):
And Money's article Evelyn in Me.
Speaker 2 (23:33):
Published in Vivonte in twenty seventeen, It's this incredible piece admiration, anger, betrayal, understanding,
all mixed together, and in it she reveals the truth
Evelyn entrusted her with Celia Saint James was the love
of Govlin Hugo's life. Monique writes that the biography The
Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo isn't really about the husbands
at all. It's about Evelyn's epic hidden love story with Celia.
Speaker 1 (23:55):
Wow, what an absolutely staggering story, A deep dive into
a life just packed with calculations, sacrifice, ambition, and this profound,
unconventional love.
Speaker 2 (24:04):
It really lays baar that constant tension, doesn't it, between
the glittering public image and the messy private truth, the
relentless drive colliding with the need for real connection.
Speaker 1 (24:14):
It absolutely does, and it leaves you thinking, after hearing
all of Evelyn's choices, all the secrets and protections, where
would you draw the line that line between protecting the
people you love and living a truly authentic life yourself
and we maybe more fundamentally, in a world that's constantly
spinning narratives, constantly shaping stories, how do you find the
(24:35):
truth that actually matters, something to really mull over.
Welcome to the Deep Dive. We're the podcasts where well
we plunge into these huge, fascinating stories and try to
pull out those surprising truths that just make you go aha.
Today we are stepping right into the glittering but really
enigmatic world of Evelyn Hugo.
Speaker 2 (00:15):
Oh the legend herself exactly.
Speaker 1 (00:18):
At seventy nine, this Hollywood icon famous for what seven marriages,
She's auctioning off her most.
Speaker 2 (00:23):
Iconic gowns, right, the big auction.
Speaker 1 (00:25):
And our mission, our deep Dive today is to peel
back those layers, you know, the carefully built image she had.
We want to uncover the real truths behind the fame,
those chaotic loves, the struggles, and we're doing it all
through the eyes of this struggling magazine writer Monique Grant.
Speaker 2 (00:41):
Which is just such a fascinating setup, isn't it, Because
Evelyn Hugo, she's been a recluse for decades, just total mystique.
Speaker 1 (00:47):
Right.
Speaker 2 (00:47):
So the big question right off the bat is why Monique,
Why pick this basically unknown writer from Vavant magazine for
the pelll interview of a lifetime.
Speaker 1 (00:57):
Yeah, Monique has no idea.
Speaker 2 (00:59):
None, And it's this huge career opportunity for her, especially
since her own life is kind of falling apart. Her
husband David literally just moved out.
Speaker 1 (01:06):
It's wild. Monique herself is completely baffled. She's digging, asking
her mom if her dad, who worked in Hollywood way
back maybe knew Evelyn, but nope, nothing to it end.
So this really strange choice sets up our whole quest
for this deep dive. What is hiding under that glamorous,
carefully managed Evelyn Hugo facade? How did she actually navigate
(01:29):
a life where love, ambition, public image, they were just
constantly smashing into each other. Get ready, folks, Yeah, get ready.
This journey, I think is going to hit us with
some real aha moments about fame, love and finding yourself
in all that mess.
Speaker 2 (01:46):
Definitely, and to really get Evelyn Hugo, you have to
go way back back to the unvarnished start. Our sources,
they paint this really vivid picture. Elena Herrera, right, not
Hugo yet not Hugo, daughter of Cuban immigrants, grew up
really poor, lost her mother when she was just eleven,
and her father abusive. It's well, it's not the glamorous
backstory you'd expect is.
Speaker 1 (02:04):
It not even close? And it immediately shows you that
fierce survival instinct that really defines her entire life.
Speaker 2 (02:11):
Absolutely.
Speaker 1 (02:11):
What's just staggering is how young she learned that brutal
lesson Dick what you want? I mean, she's only sixteen
and she seduces Ernie Diaz, this much older guy. And
it wasn't about love, not even close. It was cold
calculated a transaction basically to get her ticket out of
Hell's kitchen and into Hollywood. She was already taking control
(02:32):
using what she had, that's exactly.
Speaker 2 (02:33):
And once she got to Hollywood, she didn't just like
sit around waiting. No, she's hidden the celebrity spots networking.
That's where she meets Harry Cameron.
Speaker 1 (02:41):
Ah, Harry Key figure.
Speaker 2 (02:43):
Huge, a young film producer back then he becomes this
lifelong confidant. He helps her get small roles. She's learning
the ropes, you know, hiding how ambitious she really is
from Ernie. So it doesn't feel like threatened smart, but
the industry itself different story. Harry tells her straight up
being Cuban. That's a bit. The studios want blondes for
the lead roles.
Speaker 1 (03:03):
Ugh, yeah, a grim reminder of the times. So what
does Evelyn do. She engineers this meeting with a producer
Ari Sullivan, right and just with this chilling pragmatism, uses
sex as a tool, not for pleasure, for power, to
land the lead in Little Women getting what she wanted.
Speaker 2 (03:21):
That was the satisfaction, and bam, that leads to the
famous image overhaul. She becomes a blonde bombshell re christened
Evelyn Hugo, erasing the Cuban roots entirely to fit the mold.
Then the studio orchestrates the strategic divorce from Ernie Diaz.
Evelyn plays the perfect heartbroken wife for the cameras, all
(03:41):
an act totally turning him into just another stepping stone.
Calculated though actually it worked out okay for Ernie too.
He used the settlement money to build his own life.
Speaker 1 (03:50):
It's just it shows the sheer ruthlessness it took to
climb like that. In this drive. It leads her straight
into her first big public marriage, Don Adler, the handsome actor, right,
and he seemed genuinely into her, not just the image.
For a minute, you think, okay, maybe this is real
amidst all the publicity stunts.
Speaker 2 (04:06):
Yeah, their romance was this huge whirlwind, all meticulously arranged
by Don's powerful parents, culminates in this lavish wedding in
nineteen fifty seven. But here's the kicker. Okay, at the reception,
in this quiet moment away from the crowds, Harry Cameron
confesses to Evelyn that he's gay.
Speaker 1 (04:24):
Wow at her wedding reception.
Speaker 2 (04:26):
Right there, sharing this huge secret right then and there.
It just instantly deepens their bond. Cemented Harry as her
absolute closest confidant, a rock in her crazy life.
Speaker 1 (04:36):
But the fairy tale with Don, it falls apart almost instantly,
doesn't it.
Speaker 2 (04:40):
Two months in two months and Don starts hitting her
god resentment mostly her career was taking off. His was
kind of stalling. He couldn't handle it, lashed out, told
her to quit acting, have kids.
Speaker 1 (04:51):
The irony is just brutal. Her success is what triggers
his abuse exactly.
Speaker 2 (04:55):
And Evelyn, ever the survivor, she's hiding the bruises, pushing
through filming. Actually one more day, the movie they did together.
Speaker 1 (05:02):
The one they both got nominated for, that's the.
Speaker 2 (05:03):
One Oscar noms for both, But for Evelyn, that film
was forever stained by the abuse happening behind the scenes.
Harry noticed the bruises, you know, he confronted her.
Speaker 1 (05:13):
Did she tell him?
Speaker 2 (05:14):
She admitted it, Yeah, but she was trapped so that
she still loved Don but it was all tangled up
with ambition, the public image. It really makes you ask
what was the real cost of that glittering Hollywood success.
Speaker 1 (05:25):
So she's in this incredibly tough spot, vulnerable but still
fiercely ambitious. And then the casting for Little Women, this
brings in a newcomer who changes everything, Celia Saint James.
Speaker 2 (05:39):
Right, and initially Evelyn just sees her as a threat,
another pretty young thing who could steal her spotlight.
Speaker 1 (05:44):
Mm hm. But then there's this moment right, not on
set but at home.
Speaker 2 (05:48):
Yeah, it's powerful, Evelyn's made Paula. She glimpses these dark
bruises around Evelyn's ribs. Dawn had pushed her down the stairs.
Speaker 1 (05:55):
Oh my god.
Speaker 2 (05:55):
But Paula says nothing, just silence. It's kind of chilling
how that Holly, what illusion was maintained even with stuff
like that happening.
Speaker 1 (06:03):
And then on set Celia she's actually nervous.
Speaker 2 (06:06):
Totally nervous, and that catches Evelyn off guard. She stops
seeing a rival and sees like a person scared, unsure
like she used to be. It's the subtle shift, but
Evelyn decides quietly, I like her, and that simple thought,
well it ends up meaning everything.
Speaker 1 (06:25):
So how does the friendship actually start?
Speaker 2 (06:27):
It's unconventional. Celia suggests, you know, public outings, pap strolls,
but Evelyn wants privacy, she wants real life away from
the cameras. She steers them somewhere secluded, interesting, and Evelyn
is just brutally honest. Amidst she uses people, says something like,
if you're going to use people, at least be good
at it.
Speaker 1 (06:43):
Wow. What does Celia think of that?
Speaker 2 (06:45):
Celia finds it awful, but with a spark of admiration,
isn't that great? It leads to this deal, this mutual cooperation.
Celia helps Evelyn with her acting. Evelyn lends Celia her
star power, a partnership built on this like raw cynical
understanding of how Hollywood work.
Speaker 1 (07:00):
And this honesty it extends to managing her image too, right.
The cold Evelyn article.
Speaker 2 (07:05):
Oh yeah, that piece accuses her of refusing don children.
So Evelyn strategically fakes this whole story about having multiple miscarriages.
Harry helps her script.
Speaker 1 (07:15):
It, and she performs it for the maid.
Speaker 2 (07:17):
Puts on a whole show over the phone for Paula,
knowing she'll leak it, and it works. Public sympathy flips
completely genius but ruthless.
Speaker 1 (07:26):
But behind all these headlines, something real is happening with Celia.
Speaker 2 (07:30):
Absolutely, that's what's so profound. Behind the scenes, their intimacy
is growing, They're sharing secrets, they burn that fake article together.
Evelyn feels this seismic shift. She realizes, with this aching clarity,
she's starting to love Celia.
Speaker 1 (07:43):
But then Don comes back.
Speaker 2 (07:45):
Yeah, Don walks in on them during this private moment,
shatters the intimacy, but the public story stays the same.
Evelyn and Celia on double dates with Don and this guy,
Robert Logan. The truth is right there, but.
Speaker 1 (07:56):
Hidden until the Little Women premiere. Evelyn's proud of Celia's performance,
not threatened. But then Ruby.
Speaker 2 (08:03):
Riley Ugh, Ruby, always digging for dirt, she corners Evelyn
at the after party, spills everything, tells her Celia is
a lesbian and that Don's having an affair.
Speaker 1 (08:12):
What does Evelyn do?
Speaker 2 (08:14):
Her focus is instant, not Dawn cheating. She kind of
expected that it's Celia she has to find Celia tells
you everything about her priorities right there.
Speaker 1 (08:21):
And this leads to that huge moment in the interview
with Monique, the big reveal.
Speaker 2 (08:26):
The absolute core of it all. Monique asks, point blank,
did you know Celia was gay? Evelyn hesitates, then just
lays it bare. Celia Saint James was the love of
my life, just like that, Just like that, Monique, stunned,
jumps to so you're gay, and Evelyn corrects her so calmly,
so firmly, I'm bisexual. I loved men and I love Celia.
Speaker 1 (08:49):
Both were real, and Monique gets it right. Thinking about
her own biracial identity.
Speaker 2 (08:53):
Exactly, she understands that struggle against being put in a box.
This isn't just Evelyn confessing love, it's her claiming her
whole complex self, refusing easy labels.
Speaker 1 (09:03):
So after this massive confession, Evelyn makes a move, a
bold one.
Speaker 2 (09:06):
She kisses Celia, but Celia pulls back, overwhelmed. So Evelyn
turns around, confronts Don about his cheating, tells him she
loves Celia, and walks out done.
Speaker 1 (09:14):
Well, but the divorce gets messy.
Speaker 2 (09:18):
Super messy. Evelyn's gag can't speak publicly. Don blacklists her
from Sunset Studio.
Speaker 1 (09:24):
It's brutal and Celia.
Speaker 2 (09:26):
Once Harry leaves with the papers, Evelyn finally tells Celia
she loves her. They sleep together. It's this huge turning point.
But the media, oh, they spin it viciously. Sub Rosa
claims the divorce is because Evelyn was jealous of Don's success,
predicts her career is over.
Speaker 1 (09:41):
Just shows you the power of the press back then,
shaping the narrative even when she's fighting so hard to
control it herself. Absolutely, and after the divorce from Don,
Evelyn's career does actually take a hit, right while Celia's
takes off big time.
Speaker 2 (09:53):
Celia wins the Oscar for Little Women. Evelyn's watching at
home alone, and she's so overcome with pride and love
for Celia she literally kisses the TV screen and chips
her tooth.
Speaker 1 (10:04):
No way.
Speaker 2 (10:05):
Yes, it's this small, kind of absurd moment, but it
says everything about how deep that hidden love ran.
Speaker 1 (10:11):
So her American career is sputtering. Yeah, what does she do?
Speaker 2 (10:14):
She reinvents herself, goes to Paris. Harry helps set it up.
She gets offered this super bowld role by mac chirard.
It includes a topless scene in a film called bouton Train.
Speaker 1 (10:24):
Risky, move back, then.
Speaker 2 (10:25):
Very but Evelyn nails it. She channels her understanding of
desiring a woman Celia, into creating this powerful sense of
desire on screen. It becomes the film's most talked about moment,
and that gets attention, huge attention. Rockstar mack Reeva sees
the film and publicly declares he's going to marry her,
having never even met her.
Speaker 1 (10:47):
That's just peak celebrity insanity, isn't it.
Speaker 2 (10:49):
Totally just this instant, bizarre public connection and her public life,
especially with Celia, it's still this constant balancing act.
Speaker 1 (10:57):
There's that incident at the Macreeva concert.
Speaker 2 (10:59):
Right vivelyn Harry and Celia are all there together. Evelyn
takes Celia's hand publicly, which is incredibly risky.
Speaker 1 (11:07):
Someone sees them.
Speaker 2 (11:08):
Yeah, some woman in the crowd notices. So Evelyn, quick
as a flash, calls out to make Reva, creating this
huge diversion, drawing all the attention away from her and Celia.
Just brilliant instinctive protection.
Speaker 1 (11:19):
But the whispers start anyway.
Speaker 2 (11:20):
They do Subrosa starts hinting about their connection, printing stuff
about Celia spending nights at Evelyn's place. The scandal is brewing, and.
Speaker 1 (11:28):
This leads to Evelyn's most maybe drastic plan yet.
Speaker 2 (11:32):
Oh definitely the most self sacrificing. To kill the rumors
and protect Celia, Evelyn decides she needs a huge distraction.
Her plan, date Elope with and then quickly Anola marriage
to Mick Reva.
Speaker 1 (11:45):
Just use them completely completely.
Speaker 2 (11:47):
Celia is absolutely devastated, accuses Evelyn of choosing fame over
their love again, but Evelyn insists it's to protect Ceally.
Speaker 1 (11:55):
Does Celia agree?
Speaker 2 (11:56):
She does eventually, but with one non negotiable condition. After
the annulment, Evelyn has to move in with her properly.
Speaker 1 (12:03):
Wow, a desperate deer made.
Speaker 2 (12:05):
In total desperation, But it shows how committed Celia was
to and Evelyn.
Speaker 1 (12:09):
She pulls it off the Macreeve.
Speaker 2 (12:11):
Thing with chilling precision. She manipulates make into proposing, then
deliberately makes sure the marriage implodes fast by being well
a terrible lover. Oh my god, it works perfectly. Public
sympathy pours in for her, the poor jilted bride. Attention
totally diverted from Celia. It's masterful manipulation, even if involves
humiliating herself.
Speaker 1 (12:30):
But the personal cost must have been huge, immense.
Speaker 2 (12:33):
Evelyn gets pregnant from sleeping with Mick as part of
the charade. Celia is furious calls her a prostitute. Yeah,
Evelyn argues she did it all for Celia, that she
had choices Celia as an openly gay woman, then didn't.
But Celia can't handle it. She leaves for five years.
Speaker 1 (12:50):
Five years gone.
Speaker 2 (12:52):
Evelyn later tells Monique she regretted every single moment they
spent apart, a rare admission of deep, deep regret from her.
Speaker 1 (13:00):
Celia's gone. What does Evelyn do back to strategic marriages?
Speaker 2 (13:03):
You guessed it. Her marriage Directs North, her co star
and Anna Karenina pure business, film publicity. No love there,
Mutual respect maybe, but it was an arrangement. They both
had freedom to see other people, just how to be discreet.
It really shows how for Evelyn, relationships often just became
tools for ambition and image control.
Speaker 1 (13:21):
But something shifts personally around this time, too, right with.
Speaker 2 (13:24):
Her heritage, Yeah, a quieter but important shift. She hires
a Salvadorn maid Louisa, and Louisa, not knowing who Evelyn
really is, calls her crazy in Spanish one day, and
somehow that little interaction sparks something. Evelyn starts reconnecting with
her Cuban roots, the ones she buried for decades, feels
less shame, forms a real bond with Louisa.
Speaker 1 (13:44):
Harry has his own secrets.
Speaker 2 (13:46):
Oh yeah, Harry confesses to Evelyn that he's involved with
John Braverman, Celia's husband, Celia's husband, revealing that both their
marriages are just elaborate fronts, total facades.
Speaker 1 (13:57):
So they're both living these parallel secret.
Speaker 2 (13:59):
Lives and this shared secret, this deception leads them to
this brilliant, kind of crazy new plan.
Speaker 1 (14:08):
What's the plan?
Speaker 2 (14:09):
Stage A scandalous, racy photo of Evelyn with someone else
cause a stir. Then they get married, Harry and Evelyn.
Whoa why to start a family. It's this incredible bond
of trust and loyalty, zero romance. It gives them both
career cover, protects their secrets, and lets them build the family.
They both want their next film together smashes box office records.
Speaker 1 (14:31):
It's amazing how intricate their lives become.
Speaker 2 (14:34):
Utterly and what's really striking is how Evelyn telling her
story impacts Monique.
Speaker 1 (14:38):
Right Monique's own life.
Speaker 2 (14:39):
Yeah, hearing Evelyn, seeing these choices, Monique has this realization
about her own marriage to David. It's not over because
of some big heartbreak. It's just not right anymore.
Speaker 1 (14:48):
So she ends it.
Speaker 2 (14:48):
She ends it. It's like Evelyn's complicated, messy life somehow
gives Monique the clarity she needed for her own. Really
powerful connection there.
Speaker 1 (14:58):
Which brings us to maybe one of the most beautiful
parts of Evelyn's story. The unconventional family they built.
Speaker 2 (15:05):
Oh absolutely, it's radical, especially for the time. You've got
Evelyn and Celia finally leaving together, and Harry and his
partner John Braverman living basically next door and together the
four of them are raising Connor.
Speaker 1 (15:17):
Harry and Evelyn's daughter, born in seventy five.
Speaker 2 (15:19):
Exactly, this deeply unconventional but profoundly loving, chosen family unit.
In the middle of glittering, deceitful Hollywood, they carved out
this authentic little sanctuary. It really speaks to that fundamental
human need for belonging.
Speaker 1 (15:34):
Doesn't it. It really does. And against this backdrop, major
events are happening Stonewall.
Speaker 2 (15:40):
Right, the Stonewall riots happened. Celia feels this huge surge
of hope, wants to go out march, be visible.
Speaker 1 (15:46):
But Evelyn and Harry hold back.
Speaker 2 (15:48):
They do. They choose to secretly fund the cause instead.
Their reasoning was that their fame, their presence, might actually
distract from the movement itself, a protective move, not indifference.
Speaker 1 (16:00):
Wins her second Oscar. But Evelyn isn't there.
Speaker 2 (16:03):
No, Evelyn isn't there. And Celia, well, she gets drunk,
lashes out really cruelly dismisses Evelyn's career, her bisexuality, saying
she wasn't real because she'd been with men too. I
must have cut deep, Oh incredibly deep, Evelyn acknowledges later, Yeah,
she used her sexuality to climb the ladder, but Celia's
(16:23):
words just hurt. Shows the immense pressure to fit into boxes,
even from loved ones.
Speaker 1 (16:28):
And then Evelyn takes that role in three Am with
Don Adler, her abuser.
Speaker 2 (16:32):
Fascinating choice, right, but Don's career is fading. She clearly
has the upper hand. Now it's her reclaiming her power
over him.
Speaker 1 (16:39):
Does he apologize?
Speaker 2 (16:40):
He actually does, gives this heartfelt apology, takes responsibility, Evelyn
softens a bit, agrees to be friendly, but draws the
line not friends.
Speaker 1 (16:48):
And there's that moment that family picnic.
Speaker 2 (16:50):
Yeah, this fleeting perfect day, Evelyn, Celia, Harry, John, little
Connor all together happy. Evelyn has this premonition, this feeling
that it's one of the last times it'll be like
this bit.
Speaker 1 (17:05):
Or sweet, because things fall apart again they do.
Speaker 2 (17:08):
During the filming of Three Am, there's a sex scene
with Don. Evelyn, being the professional she is, gives it
her all but feels instant guilt.
Speaker 1 (17:16):
And Celia finds out.
Speaker 2 (17:17):
Yeah, and she's heartbroken, says she just couldn't bear the
thought of Evelyn sharing herself like that, even for a role.
Celia leaves again. Oh no, it's devastating, Evelyn tells Monique later,
just raw honesty. I'm not a good person. She blames
her own relentless obsession with fame for breaking them, not
her bisexuality. A real moment of self awareness maybe or
(17:37):
self flagellation.
Speaker 1 (17:38):
And then real tragedy strikes the family.
Speaker 2 (17:40):
Yeah, John Braverman, Harry's partner dies suddenly heart attack. Harry
is just shattered, unbearable grief retreats completely.
Speaker 1 (17:48):
How does Evelyn handle that?
Speaker 2 (17:49):
She helps Harry channel his grief, finds him a new project,
this film All.
Speaker 1 (17:52):
For Us, and they both win Oscars for it.
Speaker 2 (17:54):
They do a testament to their incredible, enduring partnership, and
Evelyn in her acceptance speed which makes this subtle, veiled
tribute to Celia hinting that the love is still there
despite everything.
Speaker 1 (18:07):
Does Harry find happiness again?
Speaker 2 (18:08):
He eventually finds new love. Yeah. He even tells Evelyn
he wishes Celia would marry his new partner so they
could all live together in La, this expanded, unconventional family.
And Evelyn tells Harry something huge too, She's done with acting, retiring.
It feels like another deepening of their unique bond, like
they're planning a future.
Speaker 1 (18:28):
Then comes the moment that changes everything.
Speaker 2 (18:30):
The car crash, the absolute pivot point, the secret that
binds Evelyn to Monique in this terrible way. Evelyn stumbles
upon this horrific scene, a fatal car crash. Harry's in
the car with another man. Oh God, and Harry had
been drinking. Evelyn makes this split second, utterly desperate decision
to protect Harry from manslaughter charges to protect their whole family,
(18:51):
their legacy from ruin. She tells her driver, Nick, to
move the other man's.
Speaker 1 (18:56):
Body moving to the driver's seat.
Speaker 2 (18:58):
Move him to the driver's seat, frame him for the crash.
It's breathtakingly ruthless, unprotective. Harry dies later at the hospital. Anyway,
Evelyn buys Nick's silence with the promise of fame.
Speaker 1 (19:09):
Unbelievable. So Harry's death, the official story is just a tragic.
Speaker 2 (19:12):
Accident, exactly his nineteen eighty nine obituary. And now this
reflects that it's the end of an era for Evelyn
and Connor, their daughter, just fourteen. She goes off the rails,
becomes this wild child, caught up in fame partying, clearly
impacted by all his secrets and loss.
Speaker 1 (19:29):
So after all this devastation, Evelyn and Celia find their
way back.
Speaker 2 (19:33):
They do. They reunite quietly in Spain, in this little
town Aldiz, far away from Hollywood.
Speaker 1 (19:40):
The chance for peace.
Speaker 2 (19:41):
Seems like it. Connor finds some stability, staying with Robert,
Celia's brother. Evelyn starts speaking Spanish again, reconnecting with that
buried part of herself Celia. Celia expresses this deep regret
for all the years they lost.
Speaker 1 (19:53):
Do you get married properly.
Speaker 2 (19:55):
In their own way? It's incredibly private, incredibly intimate. They
exchange vows using just a simple hairtie as a ring.
Speaker 1 (20:01):
A hairtie.
Speaker 2 (20:01):
Yeah. Celia promises eternal love. Evelyn says, none of her
other marriages, none of the glamour ever compared to this bond.
It's their true wedding, finally free from any public gaze.
Speaker 1 (20:13):
But the peace doesn't last forever.
Speaker 2 (20:15):
No. After about a decade in Spain, Celia gets very
ill and phyzima. She dies in Evelyn's arms in the
year two thousand.
Speaker 1 (20:21):
Oh. Evelyn must have been destroyed.
Speaker 2 (20:23):
Utterly devastated, the kind of grief you feel losing your soulmate.
Celia's obituary, of course, talks about her iconic career, mentions
her estate is managed by Robert and Evelyn. The public face.
Speaker 1 (20:35):
Remains, and the press twists Evelyn's grief horribly.
Speaker 2 (20:39):
Paparazzi snap photos of her sobbing at Harry's grave later
on and spin it as her finally mourning Harry, completely
misreading her pay using it for headlines.
Speaker 1 (20:47):
Again, more loss follows, doesn't it.
Speaker 2 (20:50):
Yeah? Robert, Celia's brother who had become a close friend
to Evelyn. He passes away, Connor gives the eulogy. Evelyn's
world just keeps shrinking. She feels desperately lonely, spoils Grace,
her housekeeper's granddaughter, trying to fill the void.
Speaker 1 (21:02):
And then the final blow, Connor.
Speaker 2 (21:05):
Connor dies breast cancer in twenty seventeen, Evelyn's daughter, her
last connection to that unconventional family. The grief is raw, overwhelming,
panning sets in, the fear being utterly alone.
Speaker 1 (21:19):
And this is when she reaches out to Monique, ready
to tell the whole story.
Speaker 2 (21:23):
Yes, her final plea to Monique is so telling, tell
her entire story. She truly sought family, not just fame,
she insists, even knowing everything, she'd make the same choices
again to protect that family.
Speaker 1 (21:34):
And then the final, final shock, the reason she chose Monique,
the bombshell.
Speaker 2 (21:39):
Evelyn reveals that the other man in the car crash,
the man she framed, was James Grant.
Speaker 1 (21:43):
Monique's father, Monique's father. Oh my god. Monique must have exploded.
Speaker 2 (21:47):
Fury, absolute fury, accuses Evelyn of being totally self centered,
tells her she's glad she's alone now, It's brutal.
Speaker 1 (21:54):
How does Evelyn react?
Speaker 2 (21:55):
She gives Monique a letter, a bloodstained letter James Grant
wrote to Harry.
Speaker 1 (21:59):
What did it say?
Speaker 2 (22:00):
It revealed James's deep love for Harry, but also his torment,
his inability to leave his wife, Monique's mother, and Monique herself.
It gives Monique the shattering complex new understanding of her
father's hidden life, the sacrifices he made.
Speaker 1 (22:16):
And Evelyn reveals she's sick too.
Speaker 2 (22:18):
Yeah tells Monique she has breast cancer. Not much time left,
adds this layer of finality of urgency to everything. Monique
is just reeling betrayed, angry, but also acknowledging Evelyn's huge
impact on her career. It's impossibly tangled. There's that photoshoot
for Vivante, right, Evelyn radiance in this emerald green gown stunning.
(22:39):
She suggests they take photos together and her smile, it's genuine.
It captivates Monique despite everything.
Speaker 1 (22:44):
Why the goodbye is chilling?
Speaker 2 (22:45):
Utterly chilling? Evelyn tells Monique, you have a bright future,
and Monique gets it instantly because she'd written about physician
assistant suicide before she knows Evelyn is planning to end
her life on her own terms.
Speaker 1 (22:55):
Does Monique try to stop her?
Speaker 2 (22:57):
She grapples with it, huge internal conflict. She talks to
her mom, who offers this perspective on her own marriage
to James. It was companionship, quiet loyalty, not grand passion.
Another way to think about love, about commitment.
Speaker 1 (23:12):
What is Monique to say?
Speaker 2 (23:13):
Ultimately? Yeah, She decides she'll eventually forgive Evelyn. She recognizes
the sheer complexity, the impossibility of simple.
Speaker 1 (23:20):
Judgments, and Evelyn she goes through with it.
Speaker 2 (23:22):
Evelyn's twenty seventeen obituary in the New York Tribune reports
an accidental overdose, mentions early stage breast cancer, the narrative
controlled even in death.
Speaker 1 (23:31):
And Money's article Evelyn in Me.
Speaker 2 (23:33):
Published in Vivonte in twenty seventeen, It's this incredible piece admiration, anger, betrayal, understanding,
all mixed together, and in it she reveals the truth
Evelyn entrusted her with Celia Saint James was the love
of Govlin Hugo's life. Monique writes that the biography The
Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo isn't really about the husbands
at all. It's about Evelyn's epic hidden love story with Celia.
Speaker 1 (23:55):
Wow, what an absolutely staggering story, A deep dive into
a life just packed with calculations, sacrifice, ambition, and this profound,
unconventional love.
Speaker 2 (24:04):
It really lays baar that constant tension, doesn't it, between
the glittering public image and the messy private truth, the
relentless drive colliding with the need for real connection.
Speaker 1 (24:14):
It absolutely does, and it leaves you thinking, after hearing
all of Evelyn's choices, all the secrets and protections, where
would you draw the line that line between protecting the
people you love and living a truly authentic life yourself
and we maybe more fundamentally, in a world that's constantly
spinning narratives, constantly shaping stories, how do you find the
(24:35):
truth that actually matters, something to really mull over.
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