The first teaser trailer for the much-anticipated Marilyn Monroe film Blonde is out and it is absolutely shocking how amazing actor Ana de Armas looks as the iconic American figure.
The new Marilyn Monroe film is based on an eponymous 2000 novel by Joyce Carol Oates. Set to debut on Netflix on September 13, it's important to note that the NC-17 production is a fictionalized take on the life and career of the iconic personality.
"Blonde boldly reimagines the life of Marilyn Monroe, exploring the split between her public and private selves," reads an official synopsis of the movie.
The new one-minute teaser trailer makes one thing clear: Ana is sure to shine in the protagonist’s role.
"Please come. Don't abandon me," the 34-year-old actor is heard crying in the clip while looking at herself in the mirror and, although her acting skills are obviously on display, it is her remarkable likeness to the real Marilyn that seems to have shocked fans this week.
The authenticity should come as no surprise. According to Netfilx Queue, Ana spent two to three hours in hair and makeup each day to get into character.
"[Writer/director Andrew Dominik] wanted the world to experience what it actually felt like to not only be Marilyn but also Norma Jeane," Ana said to Netflix Queue. "I found that to be the most daring, unapologetic, and feministic take on her story that I had ever seen."
In the interview, Ana, who made headlines for dating Ben Affleck in recent years, also discussed her overall process when working on the movie.
"We worked on this film for hours, every single day for almost a year. I read Joyce's novel, studied hundreds of photographs, videos, audio recordings, films. Anything I could get my hands on. Every scene is inspired by an existing photograph," she said. "We'd pore over every detail in the photo and debate what was happening in it. The first question was always, 'What was Norma Jeane feeling here?' We wanted to tell the human side of her story. Fame is what made Marilyn the most visible person in the world, but it also made Norma the most invisible."
Andrew, the director of the film, also went on the record to express his delight with Ana’s work.
"I was really lucky to have Ana because she could just do anything. She was so good," he said to Netflix Queue. "She would get there so quickly. Her feelings were just so under her skin and anything I said to her she really understood. The scenes would always just come to life because Ana was there."
Led by Anna, the cast is a stellar one that includes the likes of Adrien Brody, Bobby Cannavale and Julianne Nicholson, among others. Fun fact: the one and only Brad Pitt is also credited as a producer.
Is it September just yet?
