Last week the first trailer for the Marilyn Monroe biopic Blonde released. Since then, star Ana de Armas has been heaped with praise for the depth and vulnerability with which she imbues the role of Monroe. However, she has also received backlash from some viewers because of her Cuban accent. most recently, Brad Pitt and the Marilyn Monroe estate itself have come out in defense of de Armas’ performance.
Marilyn Monroe was born Norma Jeane Mortenson in Los Angeles, California in 1926. During her glamorous film career, she became an icon of American femininity and a sex symbol that defined the 1950s. For this reason, some fans are outraged that she is being played by Ana de Armas, who is Cuban, in the upcoming Netflix film Blonde.
Brad Pitt, who is producing the film and is sole owner of its production company Plan B Entertainment, said in a statement to Entertainment Tonight that he fully supports de Armas as Monroe. “She is phenomenal in it. That’s a tough dress to fill. It was 10 years in the making. It wasn’t until we found Ana that we could get it across the finish line.”
In addition, Marc Rosen, president of entertainment for the Authentic Brands Group, which owns the Marilyn Monroe estate, also spoke out in support of de Armas’ role. “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!”
De Armas, for her part, has spoken previously about how much effort she put into preparing for the role. “We worked on this film for hours, every single day for almost a year,” she told Netflix’s in-house publication, Netflix Queue. “I read Joyce’s novel, studied hundreds of photographs, videos, audio recordings, films—anything I could get my hands on.” She also put particular emphasis on perfecting her accent: in an interview with The Times of London earlier this year, she said that she underwent “nine months of dialect coaching, and practicing and some ADR sessions” to work on her accent.
Despite the backlash, the majority of the response has been overwhelmingly positive. For the award-winning actress, her role in the film was one she couldn’t resist. “I knew I could do it,” she said to Vanity Fair in 2020. “Playing Marilyn was groundbreaking. A Cuban playing Marilyn Monroe. I wanted it so badly.”
Blonde will release on Netflix on September 28.