A new trailer for Blonde was released last week, and it depicts actress Ana de Armas tackling the real-life role of Hollywood icon Marilyn Monroe. She looks beautiful in the film and bears a striking resemblance to Monroe but has been met with some criticism since the release of the film’s trailer. Some fans are outraged that de Armas’ accent does not match Marilyn Monroe’s breathy tone, and while Monroe’s estate didn’t authorize the film, they’re still coming out in defense of her de Armas’ casting nonetheless.
Variety obtained a statement from Marc Rosen, president of entertainment at Authentic Brands Group, which owns the Marilyn Monroe estate, and he comes out in full support of de Armas. He believes that her casting was the right choice because she captures how glamorous Marilyn Monroe was, and he also believes, based on the trailer alone, she also captures her humanity and vulnerability.
“Marilyn Monroe is a singular Hollywood and pop culture icon that transcends generations and history. Any actor that steps into that role knows they have big shoes to fill. Based on the trailer alone, it looks like Ana was a great casting choice as she captures Marilyn’s glamour, humanity and vulnerability. We can’t wait to see the film in its entirety!”
Many of the complaints aimed at de Armas’ casting pointed to the actress maintaining her Cuban accent, which is not how Monroe sounded. Director Andrew Dominik cast de Armas despite her Cuban background because, as the actress told Vanity Fair in 2020, the director believed that she was Marilyn:
“I only had to audition for Marilyn once and Andrew said ‘It’s you,’ but I had to audition for everyone else. The producers. The money people. I always have people I needed to convince. But I knew I could do it. Playing Marilyn was groundbreaking. A Cuban playing Marilyn Monroe. I wanted it so badly. You see that famous photo of her and she is smiling in the moment, but that’s just a slice of what she was really going through at the time.”
Blonde is based on the novel by Joyce Carol Oates, and it should be noted that it’s not a fact-based biopic about Marilyn Monroe’s life. It reimagines a lot of her life, from her volatile childhood as Norma Jean through her meteoric rise to stardom in Hollywood. I think that’s why there was some wiggle room to cast de Armas as Marilyn Monroe because the book isn’t a straight real-life depiction of her story. In addition to de Armas, the film stars Bobby Cannavale, Adrien Brody, Julianne Nicholson, Xavier Samuel, and Evan Williams.
Do YOU agree with Marilyn Monroe’s estate? Blonde will debut in competition at the Venice Film Festival and is set to hit Netflix globally on September 28, 2022.