Portraying Marilyn Monroe was not without its challenges forAna de Armas, who says she had to dig deep down to learn who the late Hollywood legend really was beyond her famous persona. Known behind the scenes as Norma Jeane, Monroe’s story inspired the Netflix movieBlondefrom director Andrew Dominik. Though the film had initially generated controversy for casting a Cuban actress in the lead role, de Armas wound up garnering great acclaim for her performance as Marilyn Monroe, aka Norma Jeane Mortenson.
On Saturday, de Armas and co-star Adrien Brody were on hand atDeadline’s The Contenders Film: Los Angeles. They spoke aboutBlondewith de Armas touching on what it took for her to best bring Marilyn/Norma Jeane to life. She explained how important it was to look beyond the public persona, which is what most everybody saw, and instead focus on what really made Norma Jeane tick when she didn’t have the whole world watching. As the actress puts it:
“It was important to find the emotional truth in this character. One of the biggest themes in this movie is the private and public self. Norma Jeane was completely unseen. I wanted to capture the essence of that woman, to find the human underneath. It was a long process studying her and her films, to understand what she was feeling at all times, always thinking that Norma for the most part never thought she could live up to Marilyn. What people thought of her was not at all what she felt like.”
Related:Ana de Armas Says Blonde Cast Asked Marilyn Monroe for ‘Permission’ Ahead of Filming
Adrien Brody Has the Highest Praise for His Co-Star
In the film, Adrien Brody also stars as The Playwright, a character inspired by Monroe’s husband, Arthur Miller. He also spoke about how impressed he was with watching de Armas perform, feeling that the actress perfectly captured what it was that she was trying to convey with portraying Norma Jeane.
“Her beautiful portrayal [depicts the] fragility and loneliness and the how far away that is from all of our perception and what Hollywood perpetuates about stardom, success. … It was very important to try to convey some of complexities in that relationship. The love that has to be there, the potential for hopefulness that is messing in so much of her life and that she is longing for.”
The film also stars Bobby Cannavale, Xavier Samuel, and Julianne Nicholson. Andrew Dominik penned the screenplay in addition to directing, thoughBlondeis based on the original book of the same name by Joyce Carol Oates. With an NC-17 rating, the movie doesn’t hold back on telling the story of Marilyn Monroe, from her rise to fame culminating wth her tragic demise.
