Ana de Armas Speaks Out Against NC-17 Rating for Marilyn Monroe Film ‘Blonde’

The upcoming movie will be the first NC-17-rated Netflix film ever.

Netflix's highly-anticipated movie Blonde, starring Ana de Armas as Marilyn Monroe, arrives on the platform on Sept. 28, becoming the first Netflix Original film to receive an NC-17 rating.

Now, the star of the movie, de Armas, is sharing her thoughts on whether or not Blonde deserves the adults-only rating.

In an interview with the French magazine L’Officiel, de Armas addressed the rating, saying, "I didn’t understand why that happened. I can tell you a number of shows or movies that are way more explicit with a lot more sexual content than Blonde."

She went on, explaining that if the MPAA believes that Blonde has “some sexual content," as it says in the trailer, and that no one 17 or younger should see it, then it's because everything included is necessary to tell the story accurately.

De Armas stated, "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 34-year-old's new comments align with those of director Andrew Dominik, who spoke with Screen Daily after the MPAA announced the rating, calling it "a bunch of horses**t.”

"It’s a demanding movie...It’s an NC-17 movie about Marilyn Monroe, it’s kind of what you want, right? I want to go and see the NC-17 version of the Marilyn Monroe story,” he explained.

Clearly, Netflix supports Dominik's vision for the film, as they didn't force him to edit Blonde to lower the rating. The director described in the interview how Netflix had some issues or disagreements with the movie as is, but they still stood behind it.

Dominik said, "It’s much easier to support stuff when you like it. It’s much harder when you don’t. I have nothing but gratitude for Netflix.”

Before arriving on the streaming giant, Blonde will premiere at the Venice Film Festival on Sept. 8 and have a limited theatrical release starting on Sept. 16.

Because of the NC-17 rating, Netflix could see an even more limited theatrical release based on which theaters are willing to screen the film.

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