Marilyn Monroe’s biopic Blonde, starring Ana de Armas, continues making headlines. This is because the highly praised film took the second spot on the Netflix charts after premiering in late September.
According to Netflix’s Global Top 10 chart, the movie has been watched for 37,340,000 hours. The almost three-hour film has been rated an NSFW NC-17 meaning no one under 18 is allowed in the audience, even if accompanied by an adult.
“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,” director Andrew Dominik said about the movie. “It’s a demanding movie,” Dominik said, as The New York Post reported. “If the audience doesn’t like it, that’s the f–king audience’s problem. It’s not running for public office.”
The movie chronicles Marilyn Monroe’s fictional life. Blonde was delayed several times due to the pandemic and some adjustments the creative team had to make before its premiere.
In an interview with Variety, de Armas revealed that she spent four months embodying Marilyn Monroe, a character that followed her into the next acting project. “That [Blonde] wrapped on a Friday, and I was shooting Bond the next Monday,” she says. “I don’t think anyone would choose two days, spending half in an airplane, as time off between films, but sometimes good things happen.”
As reported by the publication, De Armas transferred some of Marilyn’s vibes into her role as Paloma in No Time to Die. “There was something magical about that, although, on the first day, Cary kept saying, ‘You’re whispering,’” she said. “Action movies are definitely not my comfort zone, but it was very satisfying to do something new, something that might surprise you,” she says.
According to de Armas, she would accept a role in another action film “as long as I can do the kicks and punches;” however, she prefers to portray in dramas. “I’m closer to ‘Blonde’ than Bond,” she revealed.