Ana de Armas questions Blonde NC-17 rating: 'I didn't understand why that happened'
Ana de Armas isn't censoring her opinions on the NC-17 rating given to her upcoming film Blonde, a fantastical interpretation of Marilyn Monroe's life.
In an interview with the French publication L'Officiel, the 34-year-old actress said the Motion Picture Association's restrictive ruling on the Andrew Dominik-directed film doesn't add up.
"I didn't understand why that happened," de Armas said of the project's NC-17 label, which recommends that no one under the age of 18 should see a particular project. Blonde's rating is for "some sexual content."
Netflix Ana de Armas as Marilyn Monroe in 'Blonde'
"I can tell you a number of shows or movies that are way more explicit with a lot more sexual content than Blonde," de Armas said. "But to tell this story it is important to show all these moments in Marilyn's life that made her end up the way that she did. It needed to be explained. Everyone [in the cast] knew we had to go to uncomfortable places. I wasn't the only one."
The MPA declined to comment on de Arma's comments, citing confidentiality obligations.
Adapted from Joyce Carol Oates' fictionalized biographical novel, Blonde reportedly shifts Monroe's story away from biopic territory in favor of a more impressionistic portrait of the Hollywood icon's life and legacy. Netflix's official synopsis stresses that the movie highlights "a life both known and unknown" in a "boldly imaginative" narrative.
The film also stars Adrien Brody and Bobby Cannavale as Arthur Miller and Joe DiMaggio, two of Monroe's husbands.
Blonde is slated to premiere at the Venice International Film Festival on Sept. 8, before hitting Netflix Sept. 28.
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