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'Blonde' Actress Ana de Armas Reveals That Marilyn Monroe's Ghost Haunted The Film's Set

Home / Stars / 'Blonde' Actress Ana de Armas Reveals That Marilyn Monroe's Ghost Haunted The Film's Set

By Favour Adegoke on September 10, 2022 at 8:00 PM EDT

At the Venice Film Festival premiere of the long-awaited "Blonde," the film's star Ana de Armas revealed some interesting things about the film. The actress spoke to reporters at the premiere and said that she had felt the presence of Marilyn Monroe's ghost on the film's set.

De Armas also shared that the ghost would throw things when it didn't like something on the set or during filming. De Armas had previously revealed that she had to work hard to match her Spanish accent to Monroe's breathy American voice. Still, the actress received criticism about her voice when the film's trailer was released.

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Ana de Armas as Marilyn Monroe in "Blonde"
Instagram/Ana de Armas
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The film's director, Andrew Dominik, also told the press that he'd chosen De Armas for the role after seeing her in a film on TV. His gamble paid off because the film received a 14-minute standing ovation at its Venice premiere. De Armas and her co-star also got very emotional.

Read on to find out more.

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Ana de Armas Felt Marilyn Monroe's Ghost

"Blonde" recently premiered at the Venice Film Festival, and De Armas was present at the event with the other cast. She spoke to reporters on the red carpet and revealed that she'd felt Monroe's ghost's presence on the film's set.

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Ana De Armas as Marilyn Monroe for "Blonde"
Instagram/Ana De Armas
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According to Reuters, the 34-year-old actress said, "I truly believe that she was very close to us. She was with us. I think she was happy. She would also throw things off the wall sometimes and get mad if she didn't like something. Maybe this sounds very mystical, but it is true. We all felt it."

De Armas later added that she was very immersed in Monroe's life and story. She said, "She was all I thought about, she was all I dreamt about, she was all I could talk about, she was with me and it was beautiful."

She Had To Train To Match Marilyn Monroe's Voice

During a profile interview with The Sunday Times of London last year, De Armas revealed that it took a long time for her to train her voice to match Monroe's iconic breathy and bubbly American accent. The voice was a major issue considering that De Armas has an unmissable Spanish accent.

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Ana De Armas stuns as Marilyn Monroe
Instagram/Ana De Armas

De Armas said, "I tried! It only took me nine months of dialect coaching and practicing, and some automated dialogue replacement sessions. It was a big torture, so exhausting. My brain was fried." Still, the film received some major criticism for De Armas' voice when the trailer was released.

Most of the complaints and criticism occurred on social media, with many moviegoers calling De Armas' casting a mistake. The specific complaints were that the actress had failed to lose her Cuban accent and didn't achieve Monroe's breathy voice.

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Why The Director Picked Ana De Armas For The Role

Regardless of the criticism, Andrew Dominik, the film's director, insists that De Armas was a perfect choice to play Monroe. The director told reporters at the Venice Film Festival premiere of "Blonde" and revealed that he was convinced about De Armas after he saw her in the 2015 movie "Knock Knock."

Ana de Armas as Marilyn Monroe in "Blonde"
Instagram/Ana de Armas
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According to Reuters, Dominik said, "I knew it was her as soon as I saw her on TV. It is a little bit like when you fall in love at first sight, when the right person walks through the door, you know it." From the reaction to the film at the festival, it seems that Dominik's gamble might pay off.

'Blonde' Received A Standing Ovation

According to Variety, "Blonde" debuted at the Venice Film Festival to a thundering 14-minute standing ovation. De Armas broke down during the ovation and glowed as tears streamed down her face. Her co-star, Adrien Brody, also got emotional and cried a bit.

Brad Pitt was one of the film's producers and was visibly pleased with the film's standing ovation and positive reception. The film is a reimagination of the life of Monroe, from her traumatic childhood to her rise into a film and sex icon, to her scandals and mysterious death.

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