“Maybe this sounds very mystical, but it is true,” Ana de Armas said at Venice International Film Festival as she opened up about playing Marilyn Monroe in Blonde
Ana de Armas had an ethereal resource at her disposal for her latest project.
The Golden Globe nominee, 34, said she felt the spirit of Marilyn Monroe as she portrayed the late blonde bombshell in the upcoming Netflix film Blonde, as she spoke to the press during the film’s world premiere Thursday at the Venice International Film Festival.
“I truly believe that she was very close to us. She was with us,” De Armas said, according to Reuters. “She was all I thought about, she was all I dreamt about, she was all I could talk about, she was with me and it was beautiful.”
She also claimed that Monroe’s ghost made her feelings known if she wasn’t happy with how they were depicting her on camera.
“I think she was happy. She would also throw things off the wall sometimes and get mad if she didn’t like something. Maybe this sounds very mystical, but it is true. We all felt it,” De Armas explained.
Writer and director Andrew Dominik, who based the film on Joyce Carol Oates’ 2000 novel of the same name, said that they filmed in the same apartment where Monroe (then Norma Jeane Baker) lived with her mentally ill mother, and they even filmed the death scene in the actual room where the Hollywood icon died.
“It definitely took on elements of being like a seance,” the Australian auteur, 54, admitted, noting that filming began on Aug. 4, the same day she died at age 36 from an overdose in 1962.
Blonde was met with rave reviews after its premiere on Thursday, which earned an 11-minute standing ovation, according to Deadline.
De Armas previously explained to L’Officiel that “my job wasn’t to imitate” Monroe, adding: “I was interested in her feelings, her journey, her insecurities, and her voice, in the sense that she didn’t really have one.”
Monroe’s estate has since praised her performance based on the trailer alone. Marc Rosen — president of entertainment for Authentic Brands Group (ABG), which owns the Marilyn Monroe Estate — noted in a statement to Variety that 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,” Rosen added. “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!”
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