Ana De Armas' Perspective On Blonde Changed Greatly After A Personal Loss
Ana de Armas has quickly become one of Hollywood's most sought-after stars, delivering incredible performances in films like "Knives Out," "No Time to Die," and "Deep Water," but the films that helped make her a household name hadn't yet premiered when "Blonde" director Andrew Dominik set his sights on the actress to play Marilyn Monroe. In a new profile from Variety, Ana de Armas shares the great lengths she went through to capture the iconic essence of America's most famous blonde bombshell, as well as the tortured existence of the woman behind the stage name Norma Jeane Mortenson.
While "Blonde" has yet to arrive on Netflix, reviews are already declaring de Armas' performance as a "powerhouse." The film was shot pre-pandemic, and a lot has changed in de Armas' life since wrapping principal photography. Her continued casting in high-profile releases like "The Gray Man" has her star shining brighter, but de Armas has also experienced great personal loss.
"A year and a half ago, I lost my dad," she told Variety. For those unaware of the history of Marilyn Monroe, the identity of her father was of great speculation for many years, and "Blonde" tackles the painful difficulties she endured without a father figure. "I see this movie completely different now," said de Armas.
A shared grief
"There are days I watch it, and I don't think about that at all — or I leave the room. I had an incredible father for 32 years and not having it now, I can only imagine what it would have been, not having it at all," she continued.
Ana de Armas has already spoken out about how she knows "Blonde" will be received in regards to its NC-17 content, but that her personal connection to the film following the loss of her father has made certain moments in the film extremely difficult to watch. Unfortunately, de Armas' father passed before getting the chance to see the completed film, but de Armas invited her mother, who lives in Cuba, as her date to the Venice Film Festival.
Her mother does not speak English and had seen a previous unsubtitled cut of the film, but de Armas said watching her mother watch the film was a remarkable learning experience for her. "She understood everything, there was nothing I needed to explain to her," said de Armas. Variety reported that de Armas got choked up and teary-eyed when talking about her parents, but started to smile while recalling her mother's viewing experience. "If she can understand that with no subtitles, then we hit the spot."
"Blonde" arrives on Netflix on September 28, 2022.