Even though we are in the heart of the summer movie season, it is never too early to look ahead to the fall and get excited about the potential Oscar-worthy films. Arguably the most intriguing film coming out later this year is Netflix and director Andrew Dominik’s Blonde starring Ana de Armas as famous actress Marilyn Monroe.
There have been a lot of intriguing elements to this upcoming biopic, like its NC-17 rating. However, along with the film’s new teaser trailer, we finally have our first images of de Armas in this potentially career-defining role.
The four images that de Armas posted to her Instagram recreate some of Monroe’s most iconic moments. These stellar new shots include crowd pleasing moments like the “Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friends” sequence from the 1953 musical Gentlemen Prefer Blondes where de Armas is sporting the famous pink dress from the film. However, these images also include arguably one of the most famous shots in Hollywood history. The last photo de Armas shared is of her recreating the infamous shot from the 1955 film The Seven Year Itch where Monroe is seen in a flowing white dress above a subway passing.
The actress’ caption accompanying her post praised the film and Dominik saying, “Andrew’s ambitions were very clear from the start — to present a version of Marilyn Monroe’s life through her lens.” She continued by saying, “He wanted the world to experience what it actually felt like to not only be Marilyn, but also Norma Jeane. I found that to be the most daring, unapologetic, and feminist take on her story that I had ever seen.” This quote was a part of a larger story on Netflix Queue where Dominik talked about exploring Monroe as a human being and someone who’s deeply traumatized by having to split her life into two halves. Her private life versus her public life where she is seen as a national treasure in the eyes of her fans. You can see that struggle in a few of the images like the one where de Armas’ Monroe is trying to make her way through a crowd with a distressed look on her face while her arm is wrapped around a police officer.
Blonde, like the book the film’s based on by Joyce Carol Oates, is not going to sugar coat Monroe’s life like most modern biopics do. We’re going to see Monroe at the height of her power as the film painstakingly recreates the actress' most iconic roles, but we’re also going to see the unfiltered in between moments. That’s what makes the NC-17 rating so interesting, but Dominik’s focus has been on the complex themes tied to Monroe’s story. As Netflix Queue put it, “the human cost of the Hollywood system, the power, and perils of female sexuality, the lifelong impact of childhood trauma — demanded an unflinching approach.”
While it’s just uncanny how much de Armas looks like Monroe in both the teaser and these new images, as the famous line goes, a picture is worth a thousand words. What is left unsaid with these images speak volume and hint at a much more intimate as well as darker story that film fans aren't used to seeing with this legendary actress.
Blonde is premiering at the Venice Film Festival this summer before dropping on Netflix September 23, 2022. While we wait for de Armas’ human take on this Hollywood icon, you can view the new images down below:
