Now that Marilyn Monroe biopic Blonde has been released on the Netflix streaming platform, the actress that played the icon is having some mixed emotions. That actress is Ana de Armas, and she’s fearful that audiences will sexualize certain scenes from the movie. Based upon the 2000 biographical fiction novel of the same name by Joyce Carol Oates, Blonde is a biopic that differs from the norm in many respects. The film landed an NC-17 rating for it’s sexual content, though writer/director Andrew Dominik says that including this content was necessary to depict the trauma that Marilyn experienced during her life. Ana agrees, though that doesn’t stop her from being worried how her nude scenes will be misused. Join Facts Verse as we explore why Ana de Armas is fearful of her Marilyn Monroe nude scenes.
Ana de Armas Is Receiving Praise for Her Work in Blonde
When it was announced that actress Ana de Armas was stepping into the shoes of Golden Age icon Marilyn Monroe for a new biopic about the star’s life from writer/director Andrew Dominik, not everyone was so sure about the casting. However, in the time since that announcement was made, the actress has won the majority of audience members over with her portrayal. Though Ana may not be the spitting image of Marilyn on the basis of her looks alone, the actress’s emulation of the icon’s voice and personality seems to be making up for this fact with viewers.
All things considered, Ana de Armas is receiving a ton of positive attention for her portrayal of Marilyn Monroe in writer/director Andrew Dominik’s Blonde. Based upon the 2000 biographical fiction novel of the same name by Joyce Carol Oates, the film is dividing critics and audience members alike with it’s lurid and fantastical imagining of Marilyn Monroe’s life. However, one aspect of the film that everyone seems to be in agreement upon is the portrayal of the icon herself. There’s little to nitpick when it comes to Ana de Armas’ performance in the film, as she really steps into the role of Marilyn in an uncanny way. Ana attributes this effortless performance to the fact that she feels a close and personal connection with the iconic sex symbol, which is also why the generally reserved actress had the courage to perform in nude scenes for the NC-17-rated film.
According to Ana de Armas, there is no way she would’ve performed her nude scenes in Blonde if it weren’t for the personal debt that she felt towards the late Marilyn Monroe. Ana felt that Marilyn’s story was deserving of a personal sacrifice, and she also wanted to make sure to portray it authentically. This comes in spite of the fact that the events of the film (and it’s source material) are somewhat fictionalized. Even if Ana had some reservations about performing the nude scenes that were asked of her when taking on the role of Marilyn Monroe, she ended up going through with it for the icon’s sake. Still, she maintains some mixed emotions about the fact that so many people are now going to be freely viewing her naked body.
Ana Is Afraid Her Nude Scenes Will Be Misused
The fear that Ana de Armas is now having about her nudity in Blonde is exacerbated exponentially by the fact that the movie has been made available via streaming instead of via a theatrical release. If the film had been given a theatrical release, audience members would only get to view the actress’s nude scenes within the context of the greater work. At least, that’s the actress’s argument. Of course, films have been viewable within the household for decades, but streaming has certainly made the process easier than ever.
Now that Blonde is available to streamers everywhere, it’s undeniable that at least a couple of people have saved the footage of Ana de Armas’ nudity and shared it with friends. It seems that Ana didn’t consider this fact before signing onto the film, and she’s now disgusted by the notion. As is typically the case with big-name actresses who go nude in major films, Ana’s nudity in Blonde is undeniably going to go viral amongst certain demographics. Despite the fact that Ana simply doesn’t want to be objectified by viewers in a sexual way, another problem she has with the idea of her nude scenes in Blonde being used for out-of-context titillation is the fact that the scenes were filmed with the intention of showcasing Marilyn’s trauma. If you’re enjoying this video so far, be sure to hit the like button to show your support! Also, subscribe to the channel if you’d like to be among the first to know when more Facts Verse videos are on their way!
Don’t Watch Blonde’s Nude Scenes Outside of the Film!
If you’ve been viewing nude scenes from Netflix’s Blonde outside of the context of the film itself, Ana de Armas would like to have a word with you! The actress is petrified now that she’s realized that her nude scenes in the artsy Marilyn Monroe biopic are available to be rewatched again and again at the click of a button by streaming audiences worldwide. However, she still seems to think that what she sacrificed during the production of the film was worth it in order to pay tribute to the pain Marilyn Monroe suffered during her lifetime. Though audiences that take the nude footage from the NC-17-rated film out of context may be titillated, they should know that the film is really about trauma.
Blonde has divided critics, with many claiming it’s horrible and many claiming it’s the best thing ever. When the film was screened at the Venice Film Festival in 2022, it received the longest standing ovation that was given to any movie during the event. The audience stood and clapped for 14 minutes for the film, and most of their positive reaction undeniably stemmed from the performance at it’s center. Whether viewers like the movie or not, they’re all in agreement that the best thing about it is Ana de Armas. This is especially true for those misusing her nude scenes!
Ana Took Playing Marilyn Personally
Ana de Armas had experienced playing a traumatized character before taking on the role of Marilyn Monroe, with the actress having played an abuse victim in a 2016 film by the name of Exposed. This film gained some traction due to the fact that it also featured Keanu Reeves, though it’s undeniable that Ana has never gotten as much attention from audiences as she’s getting now. The actress put a lot of work into emulating Marilyn Monroe, though she had some helping hands in the form of Blonde’s makeup and wardrobe departments. When Ana first saw herself in full makeup and garb as Marilyn, she claims that she felt a lot of emotion.
One might look at Ana de Armas as Marilyn Monroe in Blonde and think that the actress simply put on a blonde wig and went to town, though there was a whole lot more to the story than that. It seems that being transformed into Marilyn everyday on the set of the film was a pretty big deal for the actress, and it took around three hours each time. This process not only involved the use of traditional makeup, but it also involved prosthetics. The makeup department paid a lot of attention when replicating the look of Marilyn Monroe, and they made sure to get the placement of the star’s iconic mole just right. Some may not know that the icon’s mole wasn’t real, and that she changed the location of it for a brief period of time during her career. Not only does Blonde get the most common placement of Marilyn’s mole right, but it also accurately presents the period where she changed it.
While the makeup department of Blonde had a hard task set out for itself when it was given the job of turning Ana de Armas into Marilyn Monroe, the wardrobe department of the film had an equally difficult task in replicating the iconic movie star’s most notable outfits. According to the costume designer, it was Marilyn Monroe’s skirt from The Seven Year Itch that was the hardest to create. She claims that 50 yards of fabric were used before an accurate replica was created. The work seems to have paid off, as Ana has said that this was the most fun of the many costumes to wear.
Blonde Features No Petroleum Jelly or Marble Nipples
Although the makeup and wardrobe department of Blonde went the extra mile in many ways to ensure that Ana de Armas resembled Marilyn Monroe as much as possible during filming, there were some things that they weren’t willing to do. As it were researching Marilyn’s makeup routine during preproduction, the makeup department found out that the iconic star liked to rub petroleum jelly on her face before photo shoots. According to Marilyn, this gave her a natural-looking glow. Though the makeup department of Blonde wasn’t willing to smear petroleum jelly on Ana’s face, it ended up finding a more reasonable substance that had a similar effect. Similarly, the wardrobe department opted out of trying Marilyn’s trick of sewing marbles into her bra to make her nipples seem more prominent through her dress.
All of the makeup effects and costumes in the world couldn’t turn Ana de Armas into Marilyn Monroe unless the actress was willing to do a little legwork of her own. Thankfully, Ana was fully invested in the role and studied for almost a year to get the icon’s voice right. Given that this voice emulation is one of the aspects of Blonde receiving the most praise, the actress certainly seems to have done a good job!
Though Ana de Armas believes that it was worth performing in the nude in order to tell Marilyn Monroe’s story, she’s afraid that titillated audience members will take her nude scenes in Netflix’s Blonde out of context. Now it’s time to hear from you: did you know that Ana de Armas is having mixed emotions about her nude scenes in the Marilyn Monroe biopic Blonde, and that the film received the longest standing ovation at 2022’s Venice Film Festival? As always, like this video to show your support, and subscribe and hit the notification bell if you’d like to be among the first to know when more Facts Verse videos are on their way!
