Ana de Armas Channels Marilyn Monroe in First Teaser Trailer for 'Daring, Unapologetic' Movie Blonde
Ana de Armas is Marilyn Monroe — and Norma Jeane.
The 34-year-old actress plays the late Hollywood legend (who was born Norma Jeane Baker) in the upcoming Netflix film Blonde, based on the 2000 novel by Joyce Carol Oates. The fictionalized film, which earned an NC-17 rating, "boldly reimagines the life of Marilyn Monroe, exploring the split between her public and private selves," according to an official synopsis.
"Please come. Don't abandon me," a crying de Armas says in front of a mirror in her dressing room at the start of the teaser trailer, which debuted Thursday.
The rest of the teaser shows flashes of de Armas' Monroe onstage and in front of cameras, recreating the breezy white dress moment over a New York City subway grate.
Blonde's cast also features Bobby Cannavale, Adrien Brody, Julianne Nicholson, Xavier Samuel and Evan Williams.
RELATED: Blonde Director Says Ana de Armas-Starring Film About Marilyn Monroe Will 'Offend Everyone'
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De Armas told Netflix Queue that writer/director Andrew Dominik's "ambitions were very clear from the start: to present a version of Marilyn Monroe's life through her lens." She added, "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."
The actress spent two to three hours getting hair and makeup done for the film, according to Netflix Queue, and de Armas did plenty more research leading up to the film shoot.
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"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."
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She added, "Fame is what made Marilyn the most visible person in the world, but it also made Norma the most invisible."
Director Dominik said, "I was really lucky to have Ana because she could just do anything. She was so good. 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."
Blonde debuts on Netflix Sept. 23.
