Old Interview with Elizabeth Taylor Reveals James Dean was Molested by Minister, Other Hollywood Secrets

Writing for The Daily Beast, Kevin Sessums lets us in on some intimate details from an interview he conducted with Elizabeth Taylor fourteen years ago.

Perhaps the most attention grabbing part of the story is what she revealed about James Dean, that he had been molested by his minister as a young boy.

While today it's not hard to imagine a young child like James Dean being molested by a minister, priest, preacher, or other religious leader, such an act was not spoken about back then. The act needs to be looked at in historical context as well.

Elizabeth Taylor asked Kevin Sessums to not reveal what James Dean had confided to her until after her death, and he upheld that promise. Some may criticize him speaking now, but we need to remember Elizabeth Taylor lived her life as a celebrity, and in passing will also be looked upon that way, with people wanting to know intimate details of her life. James Dean molested by his minister is something we all can learn from now that we know.

Molestation of children isn't a new phenomena, despite how much more you see it reported. If anything, it's probably happening to a fewer percentage of children than when the act was not to be spoken of. Parents have learned to look for warning signs, and to not assume just because a person is a religious leader they aren't also a predator.

If anything, many parents now realize quite the opposite. Recent history has shown us a connection between religious leadership and sexual molestation of children. The control aspect of religion and the demand to place faith in leadership are ripe picking ground for the motivated predator.

Elsewhere in the piece Sessums talks of Taylor being "feisty," and "fun." She reveals details of her life that bring part of her to life in the mind of the reader. From her anger at cosmetic companies testing on animals to recollections of the pet chicken she had as a child, we see Elizabeth Taylor as more than just Hollywood.

Taylor reveals how she helped Tennessee Williams get paid for his plays. We see how deeply she was involved in the fight against AIDS, and how important that fight was to her. We get an idea that if we had ever been given the chance to talk to Elizabeth Taylor, the conversation would have been mesmerizing.

We also find insight into the troubled life of James Dean. Did the fact that he was molested by a minister, shortly after losing his mother, haunt him? It's hard to imagine it not.

Source: Daily Beast article from Kevin Sessums