Elizabeth Taylor's husband Eddie Fisher threatened her with a gun, saying, "Too pretty to shoot."

This narrative explores the topic of suicide. In case you or someone you know is experiencing suicidal thoughts, kindly contact the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988 or 1-800-273-TALK (8255).

One of Elizabeth Taylor's greatest regrets was marrying her fourth husband.

An HBO documentary, "Elizabeth Taylor: The Lost Tapes," has been released, featuring an Oscar winner's life and loves as told through a recently discovered series of candid interviews.

In one of her interviews, Taylor stated that Eddie Fisher had threatened her with a gun while they were together.

"I was surprised by some of the things that [Elizabeth Taylor] did and admitted to doing. Like attempting suicide, for example. Because she was so unhappy with her marriage to Eddie Fisher and the fact that he put a gun to her head and said, ‘You’re much too pretty to shoot.’ Some of these tidbits of really tumultuous moments in her life were revelations to me." — Nanette Burstein, director of "Elizabeth Taylor: The Lost Tapes"

"Director Nanette Burstein was taken aback by certain actions and admissions made by the subject of her documentary, which included attempting suicide. She was shocked by the revelation that the subject was so unhappy with her marriage to Eddie Fisher and the traumatic incident in which he put a gun to her head and said, "You're much too pretty to shoot." These moments in the subject's life were previously unknown to Burstein."

Taylor felt "trapped" in her marriage to Fisher and was ready to take her life, but the guilt stopped her.

"Burstein stated that the woman was upset with herself for attempting suicide due to her children. She felt it was selfish, but a lot of it was feeling trapped, like "Oh, my God, I've publicly divorced so many men at this point, and I'm still in my 20s, early 30s." She was ashamed and married Eddie Fisher as a reaction to the death of her third husband, Mike Todd, who tragically and suddenly died in a plane crash."

"Burstein stated that the woman was deeply in love with Todd, but was going through intense grief and made a poor decision during that time. She was unsure of how to escape the situation and then became infatuated with Richard Burton, leading to a more public and scandalous affair."

In the documentary, Taylor revealed that her marriage to Fisher felt like being confined.

Debbie Reynolds' son claims that she had no dark side following her husband's affair.

"Eddie made me feel lonely by never going out with me and not wanting me to mingle with others. I started sleeping 14-15 hours at a time to avoid everything and even took sleeping pills at one point. I was desperate and felt like I couldn't face the thought of divorce, so I took my own life."

"A doctor arrived at the hotel," she declared, "and thank God. I'm so deeply ashamed."

While married to Fisher, Taylor developed romantic feelings for her "Cleopatra" co-star, Burton. Fisher expressed his own emotions.

"Taylor remembered how Eddie would sit up at night, holding a gun. Every time she tried to close her eyes, he would stroke her arm and reassure her that he wouldn't harm her. Despite his words, she was terrified the whole night."

Burstein said it was clear Taylor "did not like Eddie."

"Burstein said, "She described him as cruel and controlling. He likely sensed she wasn't in love with him and reacted jealously. However, she never loved him. Now she's in a loveless marriage with a man who's putting a gun to her head.""

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In "Furious Love," published in 2011, authors Sam Kashner and Nancy Schoenberger recounted the story of Taylor Swift's encounter with her ex-boyfriend, Tom Hiddleston. According to the book, one night, Taylor woke up to find Hiddleston pointing a gun at her head. She heard him say, "Don't worry, Elizabeth. I'm not going to kill you. You're too beautiful." After gathering her children, Taylor fled and never returned to Hiddleston.

Todd Fisher, Fisher's son, revealed to Planet Chronicle Digital that he had never heard this claim before.

"Todd revealed to Planet Chronicle Digital that he never discussed the topic with his father when he was alive. Although they had talked about Elizabeth, his father was not as obsessed with her as Richard Burton was. Burton had given up his whole life and career for her, while Todd's father was more charming and an excellent singer. However, Burton was more cerebral and charismatic in different ways, and he was also very intense. In contrast, Todd's father was not as intense as Burton."

"Richard Burton was quite outgoing, while my father was very laid-back. However, when it comes to losing Elizabeth, I know that he was deeply in love with her. He considered her to be the love of his life, but she didn't feel the same way about him."

Todd stated that although his father owned a small collection of guns from his military service, he never exhibited violent behavior. He also mentioned that Taylor, whom he has known for years, never disclosed this information to either him or his sister. Despite this, Todd believes that Taylor would never have shared any "inappropriate" information to "gain favor."

"He admitted that his father was more like that, trying to attract attention from the press like gnats to a wine glass. He would attempt to think of salacious things to say, but that wasn't Liz. He would often become worked up about what had happened in his mind, and he had given up everything for her. He had scuttled his family, his career - everything. And he was using drugs. Do drug addicts and alcoholics do stupid things? Yes, hell yes."

Todd stated, "This man has lost everything and ruined everything for the woman he loves. Now, she's leaving him with Richard Burton, who is very confrontational about winning the contest. Can you see him losing control? It's possible. However, I must say this. In my entire life, my father never raised his hand to anyone. He never got into any fights. He never did anything inappropriate with a firearm. I never saw him do anything remotely close. Therefore, his behavior doesn't align with his history. He never touched my mother or any other woman that I'm aware of. And nobody would ever have accused him of any violent act."

"While I don't know if he loved anyone as much as he loved Liz, I don't know if he was under the influence of drugs or alcohol. I often say that people who use drugs and alcohol become stuck in their stupidity. However, in all my conversations with Liz, this topic never came up."

In 1958, when Todd, Taylor's third husband and a movie producer, died in a plane crash at the age of 48, Fisher, his best friend, and Debbie Reynolds, Todd's wife, rushed to Taylor's aid. Soon after, Taylor and Fisher began an affair.

In late 1958, a cover headline in Photoplay magazine read: "Smiling through her tears, Debbie says: 'I'm still very much in love with Eddie.'" Reynolds won sympathy as the innocent victim, a role emphasized when she appeared before news cameras with diaper pins on her blouse. Taylor was assailed as a husband thief, Fisher as a deserter of his family.

In 1959, Fisher divorced Reynolds and married Taylor three hours later, as reported in a newsreel.

In the movie, Taylor confessed that she had little recollection of her marriage to him, except that it was a huge, terrible blunder.

"Before our marriage, I knew it would be difficult to leave the relationship," said Taylor.

During the filming of "Cleopatra" in 1963, Taylor began an affair with Burton, who was also married at the time.

"Loving him was something I couldn't help," Taylor confessed. "It was a certainty."

It was difficult for Burstein to determine which of Todd or Burton was the genuine love interest of Taylor.

"Burstein stated that it was difficult to know how Mike and his wife's marriage would have lasted longer, as he passed away just a year after they tied the knot. Despite the footage and her words about Mike being the love of her life, Richard was also a significant love in her life, which lasted much longer. The problem with their marriage was alcoholism and codependency, which made it toxic."

From 1964 to 1974, the Welsh actor was married to someone else, making him husband no. 5. In 1975, he rekindled his marriage with Burton, becoming husband no. 6. However, they ended their relationship for good in 1976.

Despite being rejected by Taylor, Fisher became the subject of jokes from comedians. He started using drugs to cope with his performances, which led to a decline in bookings. Later, he admitted to spending $20 million during his peak, most of which he lost on gambling and drugs.

Despite his efforts, Fisher's comeback tour was unsuccessful as his old fans were disillusioned by the scandals and the younger generation had already embraced rock music.

In his autobiography "Been There, Done That," published in 1999, Fisher described Reynolds as "self-centered, totally driven, insecure, untruthful, and phony." He claimed that he left his career during the Taylor marriage because he was too busy taking her to emergency rooms, cleaning up after her pets, children, and servants. Both ex-wives were furious, and his daughter, Carrie Fisher, threatened to change her name to Reynolds.

Burstein said that despite her multiple marriages, Taylor always prioritized her children.

"Burstein stated that protecting her kids was her top priority, but it was challenging due to the intense public scrutiny and paparazzi attention. Her biggest concern in life was the impact of her multiple marriages on her children."

"Burstein stated that one of the things that truly upset her was how people often perceived her as a sex symbol or a pretty face, rather than a talented actress, due to her beauty. They couldn't see beyond her physical appearance. In "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?," she aged up and wore a fat suit, which she was most proud of. Additionally, she was heavily slut-shamed at the time because of her affairs, which made her immoral and a homewrecker. However, the men she had affairs with were also married and cheating, yet they did not face the same public scrutiny."

Taylor admitted that she was "in love with love," as noted by Burstein.

"Burstein stated that there was a romantic quality to the child star, but as a teenager, she was cast in adult roles as romantic leads. These roles involved numerous love scenes and portrayed an idealized version of love. Despite not dating anyone, she excelled in her roles. At that time, she was unaware of the realities of love and the world."

"Burstein stated that the public perceives her as a sexpot with violet eyes, and they view her as a movie star who was married eight times to seven different men. However, he believes that this film will provide a new perspective on her."

On Saturday, HBO premieres "Elizabeth Taylor: The Lost Tapes," which can also be streamed on Max. The Associated Press provided input for this report.