Ana de Armas is receiving a lot of attention for her turn as Hollywood legend Marilyn Monroe in Andrew Dominik’s biopic, Blonde. The film has been widely anticipated and will soon be available to Netflix subscribers. While the movie’s subject matter has been somewhat controversial, de Armas has received praise for her show-stopping performance as Monroe. Her transformation for the role is extraordinary, and her personal reaction upon seeing herself in costume for the first time was apparently very emotional.
In an interview with The Today Show, the Knives Out star reflected on her experience portraying the iconic figure and how the entire cast and crew felt seeing her in full costume as Monroe. And it sounds like the group was in serious need of some tissues:
Everyone in the room started crying, I can tell you that.It was very emotional. It felt like she was back.
Those who are incredibly close to Ana de Armas were also taken aback by her transformation. This role has been a long time coming for the actress, who's also starred in films like No Time to Die and The Gray Man. De Armas went on to say that her friends have taken time to reach out to her about her new role and express how proud they are of how far she's come. One particular instance really stood out to her:
The other day, a classmate from my drama school, he had posted this picture and he said something like, ‘Remember Ana, when we were all together studying and having dreams, now she’s about to do the impossible: She’s about to play Marilyn Monroe in this movie and we should all be so proud of her.' It was really beautiful. It makes me proud to make them proud.
I can understand why people were so overwhelmed. The star bears an uncanny similarity to Marilyn Monroe in the film that's hard to deny. Stepping into the shoes of such a high-profile individual like Monroe must've been extremely daunting. However, the Blade Runner 2049 alum had many championing her casting along the way. Monroe’s estate has been a supporter of her taking on the role, and the author of the book Blonde is adapted from praised the actress for accessing a different side of the famed Hollywood figure.
Support for Ana de Armas has not sheltered the film from controversy, though. The movie received Netflix’s first ever NC-17 rating for its depiction of some of the darker parts of the late actress' life. By the director’s own admission, the film contains content that is sure to offend some who watch the Marilyn Monroe biopic. But he has embraced the controversial rating, which he implores as necessary to exploring her life. Meanwhile, critics are split on the Monroe flick.
Regardless of controversy though, the consensus across the board is that Ana de Armas is truly bewitching in the role, making her a possible Oscar contender going into awards season. Check out Blonde when it premieres on September 28 as part of the 2022 movie release schedule.
