Marilyn Monroe’s Estate & Brad Pitt Defend Ana de Armas’ Casting in ‘Blonde’ Amid Accent Backlash

Starr Bowenbank
·2 min read
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Ana de Armas is the latest actress to portray the late Marilyn Monroe in Netflix’s forthcoming film Blonde. Following the release of the first official trailer on July 28, some detractors have denounced de Armas’ casting as Monroe, arguing The Gray Man actress’ Spanish accent is distracting. In light of the backlash, Monroe’s estate and Brad Pitt — whose Plan B Entertainment is the production company behind the film — have come to the Blonde actress’ defense.

“Marilyn Monroe is a singular Hollywood and pop culture icon that transcends generations and history,” Marc Rosen, president of entertainment at Authentic Brands Group (ABG), told Variety. ABG owns the Marilyn Monroe Estate but did not authorize the film. “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!”

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Pitt agreed. “She is phenomenal in it,” he told Entertainment Tonight. “That’s a tough dress to fill. … It wasn’t until we found Ana that we could get [the film] across the finish line.”

While some may be unhappy with de Armas’ accent, the actress told The Times of London in January 2021 that she spent almost a year working with a dialect coach to get Monroe’s breathy voice on point. “It took me nine months of dialect coaching, and practicing and some ADR sessions [to get the accent right],” the actress shared. “It was a big torture, so exhausting. My brain was fried.”

Blonde is directed by Andrew Dominik (Killing Them Softly, One More Time With Feeling, Mindhunter). The film is scheduled to be released on Netflix on Sept. 28.

Revisit the trailer for Blonde below.

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