Marilyn Monroe Estate Defends Casting of Ana de Armas in 'Blonde'
After the actress received backlash for keeping her Cuban accent.
The estate of Marilyn Monroe defended the casting of Ana de Armas in Blonde, stating that she “was a great casting choice.”
The statement was released after the actress received criticism for her keeping her Cuban accent, which reportedly “did not entirely match Monroe’s iconic breathy tone.” Although the estate did not authorize the film, the Authentic Brands Group, which owns the Marilyn Monroe estate, still came to the defense of de Armas, with president of entertainment Marc Rosen stating,
“Marilyn Monroe is a singular Hollywood and pop culture icon that transcends generations and history. Any actor that steps into that role knows they have big shoes to fill. 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!”
In a previous interview with The times of London, de Armas revealed that she worked on her Monroe accent for almost a year. “It took me nine months of dialect coaching, and practicing and some ADR sessions [to get the accent right]. It was a big torture, so exhausting. My brain was fried,” she said. She also opened up to Vanity Fair in 2020 about filmmaker Andrew Dominik’s decision to cast her, a Cuban actress, to play the American star, “I only had to audition for Marilyn once and Andrew said ‘It’s you,’ but I had to audition for everyone else.” She continued, “The producers. The money people. I always have people I needed to convince. But I knew I could do it. Playing Marilyn was groundbreaking. A Cuban playing Marilyn Monroe. I wanted it so badly. You see that famous photo of her and she is smiling in the moment, but that’s just a slice of what she was really going through at the time.”
Elsewhere in entertainment, Alison Brie says the “wheels are turning” for the Community movie.
