“She was deceived in front of the whole world”: Benjamin Castaldi delves into the tumultuous love story of Simone Signoret and Yves Montand

1959, Hollywood. Simone Signoret and Yves Montand shine in the firmament. But behind the spotlight, an intimate drama is playing out. In his first novel “And if you should no longer love me”, published by Éditions du Rocher, Benjamin Castaldi gives voice to his grandmother, Simone Signoret, to tell the founding episode of her life: the romance between Yves Montand and Marilyn Monroe.

In the 1950s, Yves Montand conquered the United States. After a triumph in New York, he signed with Fox to shoot “The Billionaire” alongside Marilyn Monroe. Simone Signoret, then at the height of her career thanks to “Les Chemins de la haute ville”, which won her an Oscar, accompanied him on this shoot which would turn their lives upside down.

Benjamin Castaldi describes this moment as “an explosive closed session” between Montand, Monroe, Signoret and Arthur Miller, Marilyn’s husband. The legend tells of a friendship, followed by a scandal: the romance between Yves Montand and Marilyn made headlines around the world: “Not only was she deceived, but she was deceived in front of the whole world”.

A worthy, but broken woman

Benjamin Castaldi chooses to make Simone Signoret the narrator of his novel. Inspired by the letters, archives and testimonies he studied, he brings to life a strong but devastated woman. “Somewhere, she emerges victorious from this story (…). But a part of her died in Hollywood.”

Benjamin Castaldi links this suffering to the evolution of Signoret. “After this betrayal, she aged prematurely, She did not spare herself physically”. This drama also fueled her second career, where she shone in dark and powerful roles like “The Army of Shadows” or “La Veuve Couderc”.

Marilyn Monroe: fascinating and destructive

In the novel, Simone Signoret observes Marilyn Monroe with a mixture of understanding and rivalry. Under Castaldi’s pen, she describes a woman “capricious, unstable, talented, but tragically unhappy”. The paradox? Despite everything, Simone Signoret is worried about Marilyn after the end of her affair with Yves Montand. Benjamin Castaldi sees his grandmother’s greatness there.

An end to a family story

For Benjamin Castaldi, this novel is an ultimate tribute to his grandmother. “My goal was to bring her back with us permanently, but this will be the last book about my grandparents.”

Benjamin Castaldi presenter book novel animator Yves Montand Simone Signoret Marilyn Monroe