The Venice Film Festival has already garnered much attention thanks to the viral news of Brendan Fraser’s heartfelt reception after screening The Whale and the ongoing drama surrounding Don’t Worry Darling. As the festival continues, a film that’s already generated buzz, good and not-as-good, is the new Marilyn Monroe biopic, Blonde, starring Ana De Armas and directed by the acclaimed Andrew Dominik.
The Hollywood Reporter has reported that Armas would see herself change as she took on the role,
“I did this movie to push myself because I thought it was a gift. And this movie changed my life. I truly believe that she was very close to us — she was with us. We were doing something bigger and something more special than just a film about [Marilyn]. We were in her service, in a way. She was all I thought about. She was all I dreamed about. She was all I could talk about. She was with me. And it was beautiful.”
The film is already the subject of curiosity, with the movie earning a rare and controversial NC-17 rating and the questionable decision to cast Armas in the iconic role due to her being an English-as-a-second-language speaker and normally sporting a Cuban accent. In publicity photos, however, the filmmakers attempted to recreate famous photos of the golden Hollywood icon, and Armas looks like the spitting image.
Dominik spoke about why he chose to go with Armas after the first meeting with her, “It’s a little bit like love at first sight. When the right person walks through the door, you know.” To help hide her accent and get Marilyn’s cadence down, Armas work with a vocal coach for a year. After the teaser trailer’s release, it shows Armas emulating Marilyn’s light and breathy voice.
Blonde will be screening today at the Venice Film Festival and released in limited theaters on September 16 before hitting Netflix on September 28.