Ana de Armas in Blonde (IMDb)
Ana de Armas’s transformation into Marilyn Monroe for Blonde was more than just a role; It was a life-changing experience for the actress, she said at the Venice International Film Festival, Deadline reported. The film, which premiered at the Venice International Film Festival, marked a significant departure from her previous work and provided a unique opportunity to delve deeper into the psyche of an iconic Hollywood star.
What does Ana de Armas think about playing Marilyn Monroe in Blonde?
Blonde, a nearly three-hour epic, explores the life of Marilyn Monroe, both in public and behind closed doors. According to a report from Deadline, Ana de Armas, who admitted she wasn’t very familiar with Monroe at first, rushed to understand the real woman behind the glamorous façade. She reportedly said: “I didn’t know much about Marilyn. I was familiar with some of her films, but this was a huge discovery and learning process for me. We wanted to honor her in a recreation where she was Marilyn, but I also had a lot of opportunity to create a real woman underneath that character. It was about understanding, empathizing and communicating with her, her pain and her trauma.”
She dug deeper into her feelings and revealed that playing the role required her to push boundaries and explore the nasty and dark aspects of Monroe’s life. In her own words: “Movie star aside, she is just a woman, just like me. Same age. I knew this was a project, I had to allow myself to open up and go to places that I knew would be uncomfortable, dark and vulnerable.”
In addition, according to Deadline, Ana also spoke about how she felt while filming Blonde and what her inner state was like. She said: “I wasn’t always in character. But I felt it. I lived it. I felt this heaviness and this weight on my shoulders. And I felt this sadness. She was all I thought about. She was everything I dreamed of. She was everything I said she was… It was wonderful.”
It was also reported that Ana had visible tears in her eyes as she discussed her portrayal, saying: “I did this movie to push myself… to get other people to change their minds about me. This film changed my life.”
How did audiences react to Ana de Armas’ performance in Blonde?
According to multiple sources, Armas’ performance in Blonde was widely praised by critics. As Marilyn Monroe, she has been described as “wonderful”, “intense”, “devoted” and “supernatural”.
Even the film’s director reportedly revealed that the film was over a decade in the making, but it really came to life when Ana stepped into Marilyn Monroe’s shoes. Dominic described their collaboration as “love at first sight”, stressing the importance of finding the right person for such a complex role.