Ana de Armas is having her own Marilyn Monroe moment.
The 34-year-old actor has astounded critics with her portrayal of the iconic screen siren in the upcoming fictional depiction of the icon’s life Blonde, and now, Ana is working on embracing the fame that comes with it.
The star is gracing the cover of AnOther AW22 magazine’s Autumn/Winter edition, which features an in-depth interview with the A-list star and displays her versatility in a wide variety of poses in a glamorous pictorial.
The title of the feature boldly declares: ‘How Ana de Armas Became the Most Famous Woman in the World.’
Hollywood glamor: Ana de Armas, 34, shows her versatility as an actress and model as she goes from girl-next-door sexy to oozing Hollywood glamor in a new pictorial
The Golden Globe nominee hadn’t quite forsaken her blonde hair for the shoot in which she still seemed to be channeling The Gentlemen Prefer Blonde’s star.
The looks go from girl-next-door sexy to retro Madonna to red carpet va-va-voom.
For her portrayal of the film siren, Ana immersed herself into everything she could learn about Marilyn Monroe, including reading and re-reading the 2000 Joyce Carol Oates novel on which the film is based.
Astounded: The actor has astounded critics with her portrayal of Marilyn Monroe in the upcoming fictional depiction of the icon’s life, Blonde, and now, Ana is working on embracing the fame that comes with it
Cover model: The star graces the cover of AnOther AW22 magazine’s Autumn/Winter edition, which features an in-depth interview and shows her versatility in a variety of poses in a wide ranging pictorial
The story uses real incidents, but tries to fill in the moments in between what’s known on the public record.
‘It’s about the things we haven’t seen, the moments when the cameras aren’t flashing or rolling, when Marilyn is not ‘on’,’ said the Cuban-born beauty.
‘It’s fiction. We don’t have proof this happened. But it fills the gaps in the things we already know with a version of events that we should at least consider.’
The Knives Out star admitted she didn’t seem the likely candidate to be cast when she auditioned for the role about one of the most famous women in the world.
Pretty in Pink: The actor stuns is a pink mini dress with petal sleeves. The Golden Globe nominee hadn’t quite forsaken her blonde hair for the shoot in which she still seemed to be channeling The Gentlemen Prefer Blonde’s star
Siren: Ana looks like a screen siren in this alluring look. For her portrayal of Marilyn Monroe, the Cuban-born beauty found herself reading and re-reading the Joyce Carol Oates book Blonde
Real incidents: Blonde shows the audience real incidents from Marilyn Monroe’s live, but tries to fill in the moments in between what’s known on the public record
‘But of course I went for it, because I love challenges, and I knew that emotionally I could get there,’ she explained.
‘I didn’t know if the hair, the make-up would, but I understood what we were trying to say. Andrew called me after the audition and said, “It’s you. It has to be you.” But then we had to convince everybody else.’
The Gray Man actor’s Cuban accent would have traditionally kept her from the job, but a voice coach was hired to help her learn to speak like Marilyn.
‘Marilyn’s voice, her expressions, were a consequence of the speech classes she took herself, of her insecurities, of her not having any boundaries and letting people in, of playing this part of having to be rescued all the time.’
Challenge: Ana admits she didn’t seem the logical choice for the role, but ‘of course I went for it, because I love challenges, and I knew that emotionally I could get there,’ she explained
Voice coach: A voice coach was hired to help Ana learn to speak like the icon. ”Marilyn’s voice, her expressions, were a consequence of the speech classes she took herself, of her insecurities,’ the star explained
Applause: Blonde received a 14 minute standing ovation after its debut at the Venice Film Festival
In studying the star, Ana learned to share her vulnerability.
‘So I had to know what she was thinking and feeling every time. Because the way she rounded her lips for the ‘O’s, or how much of her lower teeth she would show, what her eyebrows were doing, all these expressions were a consequence of Marilyn in survival mode. They were tricks that she was pulling in desperate circumstances.’
Blonde received a 14 minute standing ovation after its debut at the Venice Film Festival.
Variety critic Owen Gleiberman called Ana’s performance ‘of breathtaking shimmer and imagination and candor and heartbreak. It’s a luscious piece of acting with a raw scream tucked inside.’
Performance: Variety critic Owen Gleiberman called Ana’s performance ‘of breathtaking shimmer and imagination and candor and heartbreak. It’s a luscious piece of acting with a raw scream tucked inside’
Matching: If movie watchers are wondering how Ana was able to so clearly match Marilyn’s moves and moods, it’s because, ‘Almost the entire movie exists in photographs we were either recreating or referencing’
The No Time To Die star offered a little behind-the-scenes information about the shoot which took place in locations where Norma Jeane Mortensen, aka Marylin, really lived revealing director Andrew Dominik ‘never stopped filming, so he dressed the sound person, the prop guy, my dialect coach, all in period costume too, so the camera could follow me anywhere. And anywhere I turned was ready to be filmed because we were shooting in her real houses.’
And if movie watchers are wondering how the Critics Choice Super Award winner was able to so clearly match Marilyn’s moves and moods, it’s because, ‘Almost the entire movie exists in photographs we were either recreating or referencing.’
Blonde is now available in limited release in the US and will begin streaming on Netflix September 28.
How to watch: Blonde is now available in limited release in the US and will begin streaming on Netflix September 28
